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Town 2-1 Southampton
Town 2-1 Southampton
Saturday, 9th Sep 2006 19:06

Billy Clarke's first league goal won the Blues a 2-1 victory over Southampton. The Saints had gone ahead in the third minute through Kenwyne Jones and were the better side before the break, but after Clarke's introduction on 65 Town hit back, Simon Walton netting his second penalty in two matches.

Fabian Wilnis missed out due to a thigh injury, leading to Richard Naylor's return alongside Jason De Vos and Alex Bruce moving to right-back. Boss Jim Magilton may have had one eye on next week's game at Birmingham when Bruce is unavailable under the terms of the deal which saw him join the Blues last month.

Jon Macken came in to make his debut up front with Alan Lee with Billy Clarke joining Town's other deadline day signing Sylvain Legwinski on the bench.

Southampton started by far the brighter of the two sides and went ahead in the third minute. Nathan Dyer — who played for Southampton in the FA Youth Cup final at Portman Road 18 months ago — crossed for Grzegorz Rasiak who headed down to Kenwyne Jones. The Trinidad and Tobago international was given far too much space to turn and hit a low shot into the corner of Lewis Price's net.

The Saints continued to look the more positive and organised of the two sides and John Viafara went wide from 30 yards. Soon after, Jones shot over from a tight angle on the left, although had appeared to be in an offside when the ball had been threaded through.

Town keeper Lewis Price pulled off a fantastic save in the 13th minute when Rasiak spotted him off his line. The Polish international hammered a dipping effort from 40 yards and Price did brilliantly to get back to tip the ball on to the post.

On 16 Gavin Williams headed a whipped in Inigo Idakez corner off the line at the far post. From the resultant corner Jones nodded over the bar.

Town had yet to settle after a whirlwind start from the visitors who could conceivably have been two or three goals up by this stage. The Blues finally made some impact in Kelvin Davis's area, Macken's clever pass playing in Lee but the former Town keeper was equal to the Irishman's shot and Matt Richards was unable to get to the rebound.

Davis was one of three ex-Town players in the Southampton line-up. The keeper was given a warm reception by his old fans, while Jermaine Wright and Chris Makin were booed throughout the match.

The Blues gradually started to make some headway and began passing the ball like the side which recently beat QPR 3-1. But chances were rare and Macken's 25-yard shot over was as good as it got.

On 24 Matt Richards crossed from the left, but Macken couldn't find himself the space to take a shot at goal.


Saints' midfielder John Viafara surprisingly escaped without a card in the 27th minute when he reacted angrily to a foul by Simon Walton and threw the ball at the midfielder. Referee Mark Halsey spoke to both players before waving them away.

Rasiak had the ball in the net in the 34th minute but the referee's whistle had already gone for an offside. Three minutes later there was a huge escape for Town when Jones found Rudi Skacel in acres of space on the left but the former Hearts man wasted the opportunity, scuffing his shot to the left of Price's goal.

Gavin Williams's 20-yard strike was easy for Kelvin Davis, prior to Mark Noble curling the latest in a succession of freekicks wide.

Simon Walton and Chris Makin almost came to blows in the 43rd minute when the ex-Town full-back appeared to rake his studs down the loanee's back after the pair had challenged for the ball. The loan midfielder chased after Makin and referee Halsey kept them apart but had clearly missed the incident which sparked his reaction.

It had been a half of feisty challenges, Dan Harding had left Nathan Dyer prone with an early dubious tackle, but the worst of the lot was left until the final minute. Dyer, perhaps seeking revenge, flew into Harding's midriff karate style on halfway, as the Town defender beat him to a loose ball. Referee Halsey decided on a yellow card but others might have considered it a red.

The Blues could consider themselves lucky to be only a goal behind at the break, the visitors having had ample opportunity to seal the game with only poor finishing and one excellent save in particular preventing a lead of three or four goals. Town had created virtually nothing with the strikers offering little to a midfield which was closed down quickly and lost possession too often.

Jim Magilton resisted the temptation to introduce Billy Clarke at the break and continued with the same team.

Seven minutes into the half Mark Noble was played through one-on-one with Kelvin Davis but the linesman's flag was raised.

Southampton had another good chance a minute later, Kenwyne Jones escaping on the right and the ball deflecting out. From the corner, Price saved well from the same player at the near post.

On 56 Sylvain Legwinski took over from Matt Richards for his debut, the academy product have had one of his less effective games. Soon after, Alex Bruce picked up his fourth Town yellow card in only his seventh game for a foul on Nathan Dyer.

Billy Clarke was given his chance in the 65th minute, taking over from Macken who had shown one or two decent touches but had rarely combined with strike partner Alan Lee.

Clarke had already made one penetrating run down the right before the Blues were handed a lifeline from the penalty spot. Gavin Williams played in Alan Lee on the left of the area, the striker taking the ball past Jermaine Wright who clipped his heels, sending the Irishman to his knees.

The decision could have gone either way but Halsey, who denied Town a far more clear cut spotkick in the play-off semi-final at Bolton in 1999, gave Simon Walton the chance from 12 yards. The midfielder pointed out to Kelvin Davis where he was going to put the ball before lashing it low and hard to the keeper's left for his second goal in his second Town game.

Dyer shot over the bar, then the increasingly influential Noble and John Viafara were yellow-carded for a clash. Skacel shot over from a tight angle on the left, before Noble flashed a very dangerous freekick across the face of the Southampton goal.

Idiakez escaped without a card of any colour after very clearly hitting Simon Walton in the back of the head in full view of the referee, who within a minute showed Gavin Williams a yellow card for comparatively nothing.

On 77 Saints sub Andrew Surman felled Dan Harding on the Town left within seconds of being introduced, picking up a booking for a his trouble. Noble whipped over another excellent freekick which was headed home by Billy Clarke at the far post, with Kelvin Davis left flapping.

Clarke wasn't far away from his second moments later, Legwinski threading the ball through but just too far ahead of the Irish youngster.

There was an escape for the Blues with nine minutes left when Bradley Wright-Phillips curled the ball off a post. Walton became the latest player to enter Mark Halsey's increasingly full notebook when he fouled Chris Makin.

On 86 Lewis Price tipped Viafara's shot from the edge of the box over the bar with some of the Saints players appealing that the ball had crossed the line earlier in the same attack, although the linesman seemed very certain that it hadn't.

As the game entered the final minute, Bradley Wright-Phillips headed across the face of goal when it seemed to be easier to score. In injury time Dean Bowditch replaced Alan Lee.

A first home win for Jim Magilton, but former Town boss George Burley and Southampton supporters will be wondering how on earth they lost a match they should have had sewn up within 15 minutes.

The Blues were very much second best in the first half, with the defence as calamitous as at any time in the past couple of seasons. Town only really looked a serious danger up front after the introduction of Billy Clarke, the Blues' biggest goal threat despite his youth. Jon Macken looked a bit short of match fitness and found it difficult to get into the game.

Town's other debutant, Sylvain Legwinski, passed neatly, made one or two solid tackles and almost created a second goal for Clarke. Loanees Noble and Walton were more impressive in the second half, with the West Ham man showing his class and the Charlton player not afraid to put his foot in where it mattered.

Town: Price, Bruce, Harding, Naylor, De Vos, Richards (Legwinski 56), Walton, Noble, Williams, Lee (Bowditch 90), Macken (Clarke 65). Unused: Supple, Currie. Att: 21,422.


Photo: Action Images



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