x

Saints At Watford The Verdict

Saints started with Shane Long scoring the fastest ever Premier League goal and finished by conceding what is fast becoming the traditional last minute sickener.

This was one of those games that for Saints have been too prevalent this season, ahead of the game most Saints fans would have been happy with a draw, but at the end they felt sick due to once again conceding a last minute goal robbing us of points.

Shane Long charged down a clearance from a Watford defender and lifted the ball over the keeper to score the fastest ever goal in Premier League history and give Saints a 7.69 seconds lead.

From then on the game settled into a a familiar pattern with plenty of possession but doing little with it as they tippity tapped little passes around the edge of the box, but we dug deep and kept them at bay.

In fact despite being pinned back in our own half for long periods we counterattacked well on the break and could have and should have doubled our lead with both Nathan Redmond and Ryan Bertrand hitting the post in the first half.

As the second wore on Saints got stronger but Ralph Hasenhuttl made the right substitutions and as we headed into the final 10 minutes we looked to be the side that could get the second and goal of the game.

But sadly it would be the same old same old and a sloppy goal conceded in the final minutes, yes there was an element of luck with the ball cannoning off one of their players into the path of Andre Dray who lashed home from close range, but on watching the goal on TV replays it's the familiar picture of a Saints defence at sixes and sevens and not marking their men just at the very time that they need to be doing so, this is the reason why we concede so many last minute goals these days, there is no calming presence at the back to organise and keep the defence focused.

A word about referee Mike Dean who was absolutely shocking from start to finish, yes he was bad for both sides, but he seemed even worse for us even in the final seconds refusing us a free kick as it would have meant sending their player off as he was the last man, he blew up pretty quick after to ensure that yet another poor piece of refereeing didn't get highlighted if Watford went straight up the other end and scored.

If I was a Watford supporter I would be disappointed with the crowd, for a team in the cup final 19,170 is around 2.5k short of capacity, I would suspect that they might take a few more than that to Wembley and a few more who will moan about not getting a ticket.

But a point is a point nearer safety and the other last minute goal, that one at Tottenham meant we creeper a point further ahead of Brighton, the job is nearly done, hopefully we can finish it against Bournemouth on Saturday.

What to read next:

Southampton At Middlesbrough The Preview
Saints have taken just 3 points from their last 5 games in the Championship, Boro themselves are struggling and are on a poor run that has seen them drop out of the automatic promotions spots. Can Tonda turn the tide for Southampton.
Goalkeeper Loan Move To Southampton Stalls
According to sources in Germany, the loan move of goalkeeper Daniel Peretz from parent club Bayern Munich to Saints, has been halted due to issues !
Southampton V Millwall The Verdict
Tonda Eckert rang the changes for this game, but it made little difference as the key 3 man central defence remained unchanged, in the end a draw was a fair result, but of not much help for Saints.
Southampton 0 - 0 Millwall - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.
Southampton V Millwall In Pictures
A quick pictorial view of some of the game Saints have played against Millwall in the past 20 years or so, some familiar face in there, what are your memories of the likes of Jo Tessem, Francis Benali and Graziano Pelle
Southampton V Millwall The Preview
Saints start the year with a home game against the team who inflicted the first defeat of Tonda Eckert's tenure as manager, we need to show that we have learned the lessons from that game and others.
Southampton Set to Take Keeper On Loan
Earlier this season it was reported that Saints were looking at Bayern Munich keeper Daniel Peretz, currently on loan at HSV Hamburg. Now these rumours are re surfacing, but is Perez really an upgrade on Gavin Bazunu.
Two Key Areas That Southampton Need To Sort Out In The Transfer Window
Saints supporters seem to have differing opinions about where the team needs strengthening, but for me there are just the two key areas that need to be dealt with urgently.
Birmingham City 1 - 1 Southampton - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.
Southampton At Birmingham City The Verdict
Saints didn't change much from the side that started against Oxford United on Boxing Day and for a long while in this game it looked like they might get the same result, however they dug in and showed spirit to get a point, but it was a bitter sweet evening.