Town drew their fourth consecutive match as the Blues twice came from two goals down to end the game 3-3. It was an exciting encounter with the home side looking like they would score with every attempt, and a return to last year's form in the second half for Town.
A change of author for this report I'm afraid. I had to step in when a dismayed Phil contacted me on the phone from somewhere stationary on the M25. I too was looking like I was going to be late after problems on the M3 that Phil was yet to reach. A phone call from both of us to Southampton in the hope that the match would be delayed and assurance that the Park and Ride scheme for away supporters wasn't far from the ground.
I eventually got to the car park and was relieved to hear that the match had in fact been delayed by 15 minutes. This gave me time to chat to a few of the attendants who were non too confident about their own team that evening and in the season in general after Gordon Strachan was named as manager. The last yellow bus left the park at 7:40 leaving any latecomers to fight for two rather old looking taxis.
I arrived at my seat with two minutes on the clock, and with no time to have looked around the stadium. It looked very much like the Riverside Stadium up in Middlesbrough, from the inside anyway. Is it just me or do these new stadia lack in character? They all look pretty much the same and it takes time for the home fans to find their singing areas. Something the Southampton fans have still to do.
So, looking at the team in play it looked like the widely predicted 5-3-2 was correct. The impressive Sereni was in goal, Hreidarsson, Venus and McGreal made the back three with Clapham and Makin the wide men. Holland, Peralta and Wright made the midfield with Armstrong and Stewart up front. Our old friend Uriah Rennie was the referee tonight, a man I always remember from the 5-0 trouncing of our poor rivals Norwich City a few seasons ago. Talking of the Nationwide, I was sure that Uriah had been relegated from the Premiership list...
We started quite brightly. Good work down the left from Clapham fed both Holland and Armstrong whose efforts went over and wide respectively. In the 12th minute however we were given a free kick in the centre circle, which Hermann took quickly. He passed straight to the opposition giving them a good advantage with so many Town players forward. A cross was whipped in but McGreal headed behind for a corner. From this corner the impressive Beattie put his team 1-0 up with a header wide of Sereni's hand, but question marks must be asked over the marking. Quite frustrating as it had been all Town before that.
In the 21st minute Clapham put in Armstrong who crossed for Stewart. The keeper managed to intercept but dropped the ball. Stewart got to the ball first, but could only poke the ball wide of the post but was a good opportunity.
A minute later Southampton made it 2-0 from a throw in on the right hand side. The ball came to Beattie who somehow made space for himself on the edge of the area and crossed to the far post where Pahars was waiting. Again the defence was found wanting for not only preventing the cross but the marking too.
Town's play was becoming very frustrating with inaccurate passing and a lack of movement in the final third. Holland slipped letting Beattie in again, but McGreal this time dealt with the danger. Sereni also was forced to make a low save as Town were found wanting.
This all changed in the 37th minute when we were awarded a corner on the right hand side. Venus took the kick which found Stewart unmarked just past the penalty spot. He fired a shot pretty central which the keeper got to, but couldn't keep it from going in. 2-1. Jermaine Wright nearly levelled the score when he was through on goal after a defensive mistake, but he couldn't take advantage.
The last action of the half saw Mark Venus drilling a good free kick, which Jones punched away for a corner. 2-1 at half time.
George Burley made two changes during the break. The somewhat ineffective Makin was substituted by Fabian Wilnis after the former Sunderland player was clearly carrying an injury for the last few minutes of the first half. Also, Richard Naylor came on for Alun Armstrong who also didn't have a great game.
Only a minute into the second half when Richard Naylor looked to be tackled from behind when in a promising position just inside the Saints half. No card was shown, and the resulting free kick came to nothing. A corner was conceded after shots from Peralta then Stewart, but this was played over the top of everyone. However it was clear that Fabian was having a much better game than his predecessor as more and more attacks were being created down the right.
As was the case before, the home side caught us on the break pretty much against the run of play. A shot was saved from Pahars on the left hand side only for the ball to spill out to Marsden who had a simple tap in to make it 3-1.
We were having the majority of the play but Southampton were hitting us on the break. Oakley hit a good shot which Sereni put over. The corner was punched away only to a Southampton player, but he put it well over.
In the 62nd minute we pulled a goal back with some style. Venus received the ball outside the penalty area, and he hit an absolute screamer into the top right hand corner of the goal. 3-2! The mood of the travelling fans was lifted and we chanted "We're gonna win 4-3!" to a rather quiet home crowd. They teased the travelling fans each time they went two goals up, but were surprisingly quiet at other times.
Fabian Wilnis forced a corner down the right hand side which Venus took once again. This time it went over the top but we kept possession. Naylor managed to get a shot in but it was put just wide. Richard was flattened soon after in the penalty area on the by-line as a player landed on top of him, but calls for a penalty were ignored. We were given a corner however, and with this we levelled the match. Veno took the corner and much like the first, Stewart peeled away from his marker to head the ball home.
Now we really did think we were going to win 4-3 as it was all Ipswich on the attack. Both Wilnis and Clapham were having good games, and the introduction of Naylor also had a positive effect on the front line as he was able to hold the ball up well and seemed to have a better understanding with Stewart. The confidence was back and players were working for each other again and making space. So different from the first half, and many games this season.
That is how it ended though, with Town dominating the majority of the half. The defence cost us dearly, but maybe George Burley has learnt a few things from this match. You sometimes wonder if George knows what his best team is, and maybe he will have seen that Wilnis should be kept at right-back, and that Richard Naylor should be given another chance up front at the weekend? Barring injuries I'll be disappointed if we don't field the same side that ended the game this evening.
All in all, a very entertaining game though. We should have won it on paper, but there is always West Ham.
Apologies if you thought I was actually watching a different game. Phil will tell you my memory for games is appalling! Normal service will resume this Sunday, where I think he will be camping outside the ground just in case there are any roadworks in town...