It was a mixed side put out at Farnborough, with youth being supplemented by experience and it seems that this is a good way to approach pre season games, the mixture of players trying hard to showw they are worth a look at by the manager combined with those looking to recapture last seasons form, means that you can get a game with a little more of a competitive edge than those with a full first team squad.
Thats was the case at farnborough as the hosts made it difficult for Saints and tried their best to send them home with a flea in their ear, whilst Saints youth dug in at the back, hoping to fashion a few chances for the Barnard/Connolly partnership up front.
The only goal of the game came on 81 minutes and it was the type of goal that Lee Barnard gets for Saints, from Rickie Lambert you get power, from David Connolly you get guile, but from Barnard you get pure goalscorers instinct, Barnards strikes are often undervalued when compared to Lambert's spectacular efforts, but make no mistake Barnard pops up in the box when you need him and every team needs a striker like that, someone who is lucky in front of goal and can bundle the ball into the net if need be.
There was no need for that at Cherrywood Road, Barnard controlled the ballin the box swivelled and fired home from 12 yards, its what you want your strikers to do.
Results in pre season though mean nothing, certainly in this game as the squad was more a reserve side with a few first teamers than the other way round, but its a good way to start getting your side in shape and hopefully Saints will have taken another step towards the opening day, as thats when it counts and Alan Pardew will know that on August 7th the clock starts ticking and that with all the investment put into this squad over the past 12 months, there is now no place to hide, success has been bought and paid for if it isnt delivered the there will be consequences.