This weekend wasnt great for Southampton Football Club, but after all the dust settled Saints are still in a great position to win promotion to the premier League.

West Ham United's win against Brighton wasnt totally unexpected, however the amount they won by was, prompting some Saints supporters to wonder if Gus Poyet actually instructed his team to roll over and gift the Hammers a few goals, that is probably unfair on the Seagull's boss, but the fact does remain that it virtually wiped out our goal difference advantage in one foul swoop.

However with three games left I would rather be three points & three goals ahead than the other way round and as much as Nigel Adkins will need to be telling his players to keep calm and hold their nerve, that applies as much to the supporters as well, our task is still the same as it ever was, we need to win two of the last three games and take a point from the other one.

Of course Tuesday night is a key night in the promotion battle and although its hard to see Reading dropping a point at home to Nottingham Forest or indeed to Crystal Palace on Saturday, a good win for Saints at Peterborough will steady the ship.

So the trip to London Road means two objectives, firstly secure the three poinys and then secondly rack up a few goals in the process and extend our goal difference, if we can do that then we can calm a few jitters and get back on track.

The last four games havent been great, of that there can be no doubt, but we dont have to do anything superhuman to secure a top two spot, all we need to do is keep on doing what we have done all season

Photo: Action Images

bstokesaint added 12:44 - Apr 16 I'd just like to say Nick that for the first time in a little while I agree with you 100% on this one. Friday night wasn't the be all and end all of the season and it's down to the supporters to lift the team and win on Tuesday. The fact is if we do anything other than win that game then the play-offs are the most likely outcome and it would be a sad end to the season. You still wouldn't say with any certainty what the final games would produce, but having to win the remaining 2 games and possibly well would not bode well for us. There's still plenty to take encouragement from. Reading were a real smash and grab team. They didn't play well, and "took their chances well" and "defended well" are used together to describe a team of this nature. Did we defend well and take our chances clinically against Leeds? No, not all. We threw a few bodies in front of the ball, but we got lucky. Leeds dominated, as we did against Reading. If we play like that in our remaining three games then we will get home. We need to forget about everyone else and get behind the boys.

0

cotswoldsaint added 13:36 - Apr 16 ..but to use a phrase of your Nick, 'If you keep doing things the same way, you'll get the same result'. Fonte & Hoovield cannot seem to concentrate for 90 minutes (and the stats were there in black and white telling us how often Reading scored in the 90th minute.) Hence I'd be tempted to use Martin, who offers a goal threat as well
0

Blogs 31 bloggers

Colchester United Polls