Saints marched on to the 4th round of the FA Cup with a performance that if not spectacular was methodical.

Clearly there is a buzz around the club that suggests that the FA Cup is a little higher on our priorities than it was a few weeks ago with both the manager and the fans taking it a little more seriously. In the case of Mauricio Pochettino he put out pretty much a strong a line up as he could with Rickie Lambert carrying a knock and being unavailable and a few players needing to be nursed ahead of Tuesday.

The supporters turned up in numbers as well with the crowd topping 24k a great crowd and harking back to a few years ago when we used to take the cups a little more seriously.

To start with though the players didnt seem to be as focused as they should have been, there was plenty of possession but little end product and you felt that we needed to be a little more direct at times.

The nerves were settled when a needless handball from the visitors lead to a penalty, this perhaps highlighted that the players themselves were not as focused as they should have been, it was fine for the crowd to jokingly call for Guly, but at this stage there was a game to be won, the designated penalty taker should have been already nominated and should have taken the kick, Guly did despatch with aplomb but if he had missed it, it could have not only have cost the club dearly but the player himself.

Guly though was undoubtably our best player in the first half, he looked up for it and not only worked hard but used the ball intelligently when he got it, after his goal Yeovil looked a little beaten you sensed that they felt there chance had now gone.

But once again we failed to turn possession into goals, we went near on a few occasions not least when Jay Rodriguez thumped a header against the bar, but as we went into the last half hour 1-0 was a very precarious scoreline and you felt that if it stayed that way Yeovil might throw a few crosses into the box in the final minutes and that could be dangerous.

But on 70 minutes Sam Gallagher scored a well worked goal to not only end Yeovil's hopes of a late revival but also to shoe that he might just have something for the future, Gallagher is still a little raw for me, he works hard but hasn't got that nous yet to make the right runs at the right time, however games like this will help his development big time and although I think he is still a fair way to being ready for Premier League action on a regular basis, there is talent there to come through.

The Hooiveld/Yoshida partnership looked a bit shaky in my opinion, both seemed nervous and didn't look like they wanted to attack the ball especially in the first half, clearly on Tuesday one of them will have to partner Fonte and I think Yoshida probably just about shaded it.

In midfield Jack Cork was the best player, battled hard and moved the ball on quickly, perhaps he wont be ostracised when Wanyama comes back as he was in the first half of the season, clearly he is one of our best midfielders, perhaps the manager will see this when the Kenyan is ready for action again.

Overall this was a solid win albeit that we had a few moments of luck at both ends to help us win it, the old issue of scoring goals is still there though, 65% possession, 18 shots on goal, but only 9 on target yielded only one goal from open play and that still isnt good enough, especially when we take the opposition into account.

But goal difference isnt an issue in the FA Cup, we did what we had to do and are in the next round, a good draw will see us with Wembley firmly in our sights.

It was also good to see that recent events did not impact on the game, the name of our ex Chairman was not mentioned and the fans looked to the future not the past, this was a day to step up another level and that level is to have a good cup run, Katharina Liebherr was in the stands to see it, it is good to see that she realises that in a storm the Captain needs to be at the helm, it remains to be seen how many games she will attend, but that is not an issue, the important thing is that she was there to be seen when needed.

Photo: Action Images

halftimeorange added 12:56 - Jan 26 I mostly agree with your summary but I did think that Sam Gallagher made some very intuitive runs not seen by our dithering midfielders who want to pass the ball sideways when there is an opportunity to split the opposing defence. Jay Rodrigues once again frittered away too many chnaces for my liking. His shot selection really let's him down.
0

slynch added 13:13 - Jan 26 My opinion is: most of what you've said is right and where I don't think you are quite right halftimeorange is righter. Additionally, if Cork is not to be ostracized on Wanyama's return, then I would be interested to know who you think should be?
0

Steve_N added 15:31 - Jan 26 Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the match yesterday due to work commitments, although I listened to a fair amount of the game on Solent. So it's good to be able to hear what others have to say. There's been a lot said in recent days about the togetherness in the squad - that was clearly shown by the reaction of the players when the penalty was awarded and the responsibility handed to Guly. On the subject of Cork or Wanyama (when fully fit again), there could be places for both, at least until Dejan has recovered. I'm sure Wanyama played at CB a rew times for Celtic - a short term solution maybe?

0

donricardo added 16:59 - Jan 26 Cork was the best player on the park yesterday - he got stuck in and used the ball really intelligently. I hope MP can find a way to keep him in team when Wanyama returns. I thought Yoshida looked solid yesterday and I would pick him with Fonte on Tuesday night. Finally there is no doubt that Guly was up for it and gave 100%. It was good to see the crowd get behind him and he earned his applause, however I felt he often slowed the ball down in possession and took us down blind alleys. He has been a decent squad player since our arrival in the Prem but like a couple of other players who were great for us as we moved up the leagues, he has reached his ceiling. If we are serious about challenging for top 6 / any kind of silverware it is these kind of guys who will need to be carefully replaced over time.

0

landsdownsaint added 18:24 - Jan 26 Good point that if Guly had missed that pen it could have finished his career , I thought the fella was excellent yesterday and isn't given the praise he should do sometimes, his possession stats must be amongst the best when he plays, I really think he's very popular figure with the other players , bring on Sunderland the dirty sods!
0

brianletiss added 19:24 - Jan 26 I agree that unfortunately Guly is not Premiership quality, at least not if we aspire to be a top half team. But it is not his fault or the other fringe players who are not quite up to it. The issue is are they giving 100%. Bearing in mind the stick he gets from some fans, and there were some of them around me yesterday havng a go at him, I was impressed with the way he stepped up to take it when no-one else seemed to want to take the responsibility. It took real character and good luck to him.

0

davepid added 08:14 - Jan 27 I see Lee Barnard has been loaned out. Nic have you got a summary of his enigmatic times at st Mary's for us? What do such ultra fringe players do to occupy themselves when they are so far from the central business of. Representing your club playing football?
0

Blogs 31 bloggers

Leeds United Polls