League 1 Match 12 - Huddersfield 2 Southampton 0

At last....

Bearing in mind that we were 5 games unbeaten and the fact that we beat this lot 5-0 last time out, I am strangely pessimistic about today’s game. Huddersfield have a home record to envy and are on a decent run themselves and also, they have Alan Lee playing for them who is a total **** (insert expletive here) but he is a very effective player who has caused us endless problems before. I really don’t fancy a match up between Lee and Dan Seaborne who I think will always be found wanting when under any amount of pressure (ie – away games)

True to previous form, Nigel retains the same staring XI which won against Tranmere last week so there is no place for our returning French U21 International. Mistake No1 in my book as Chaplow wasn’t that great last week and Morgan has run into some decent form. The Gulyman deserved to start and it was nice to see Frazer Richardson on the bench alongside the Bail Brothers.

We start in very dodgy fashion, trying to pass it around without first having drawn the sting out of the opposition and predictably, we are giving it away near our goal. The general air of dodgyness carries on for all of five minutes before Joey Gudjohnsen smashes in a shot from the edge of the box which has Superkelv beaten all ends up before it crashes off of the inside of the post. For half a second it looked like we’d got away with it but the rebound fell to Pilkington who still had a lot to do but he expertly drills it high into the net.

Saints responded to going a goal down by giving the ball back to Huddersfield so they could try and get another. This cunning plan of Baldrick proportions nearly came off when Alan Lee finds himself through on goal with just Davis to beat - which he might have done if he hadn't tried a long range lob. His ambition clearly greater than his ability.

Then, the Gulyman skilfully tricked his way down the left and fed Lallana who hung up a cross which Sir Rickie competed for before the keeper flapped it out to about 10 yards out to the waiting Puncheon.... would it be the blast over the bar or the scuffer along the ground ? Betfair were offering 2/1 on the scuffer, 1/3 on for him lashing it over the bar and 2000/1 for him actually scoring. Entirely predictably, he leaned back and wafted it over the bar. Puncheon should be sentenced to a night out with Barnard and Bignall for not hitting the target from there. Compare and contrast with Pilkington’s finish which was from a much more difficult position. When I was a kid, my dad eventually got fed up with me leathering the ball over the 8 foot fence and into the next door garden and then he taught me to get my knee over it and keep it down. Jason Puncheon’s dad obviously had a 30 foot fence in his garden or he had so many footballs that he didn’t mind young Jason repeatedly lashing them over next door. Seriously though, Puncheon has been in position to score about 10 goals so far this season and how many has he got ? I’ve checked the stats and counted them four times.... none, zero, zip, nil.

Captain Deano was getting visibly more and more rattled with the inept performance and tried to lead by example by hoofing someone up in the air and getting himself banned for reaching 5 bookings. A clumsy foul by Desperate Dan Seaborne gave Huddersfield a free kick which was half cleared to the edge of the box where Gudjohnsen smashed it home on the half volley, giving Puncheon another lesson in how to kick a football.

I was listening to the radio for the first half and it was one of those where I arrived at half time and was getting so agitated with listening to it that I decided to turn it off. One of my kids probably heard my 'oh for fucks sake' when the 2nd goal went in and I could see a 2nd half of me teaching them new swear words.

Saints fashioned a decent chance at the start of the 2nd half with Puncheon finding the Gulyman, whose shot was blocked. Lee Barnard’s bail conditions dictated that he could now come on as a sub and so the Gulyman made way, having managed to not get cramp his week.

On 70 minutes, Sir Rickie went up for a header and clashed heads with Clarke, coming off the worst. When the physio asked him who he was, the reply of “Elvis Presley” was not what he wanted to hear as Elvis had no left foot and so he eventually had to be substituted to be replaced by Bail Brother No 2, Darren Bignall.

Things took a turn for the farcical when the 4th official had to take over as linesman and all the officials made a big meal of getting another 4th official. Surely the 4th official is there as a 'sub' if someone gets injured in much the same way as a playing sub is. If a playing sub comes on, you don't get a replacement to sit on the bench - just get on with it. It did give us the false hope of the 11 minute board going up but we wouldn't have scored if we'd played til Sunday so all it did was prolong the agony. Schneiderlin came on for Puncheon with 15 to go as Nigel decided that scuffers and shots into orbit are not the way to go when you are 2-0 down but too little too late and so we dribbled apologetically to the inevitable defeat.

A 2-0 defeat in a disappointing manner is not what we required. In truth, the second half was fairly even but there was always the feeling that Huddersfield were just playing the game out in much the same was as we played it out against Tranmere. This in itself is pretty damning of our performance as we're supposed to be promotion contenders.

Of course, many Saints Web Forum Dwellers reacted to the result in the usual calm and collected way by insisting that we would now be relegated etc which was a predictable as Puncheon putting a decent chance over the bar. For his part, Nigel Adkins blamed 2 poor goals and the fact that we overplayed in the wrong areas and need to go direct more often. He will have learnt that Tranmere at home is a completely different proposition to Huddersfield away though, to be fair, he should have known this anyway. I feel it was a big mistake not to start with Schneiderlin as we may have been able to get a semblance of control in the midfield with him in there. Worryingly, having been favourites at the start of the season, I would now put us in at least 3rd place behind Brighton and Huddersfield.

Next up Oldham at home. If you remember that last year, Oldham at home was the day the playoff dream kind of died as we played out a frustrating 0-0 draw. In truth - we were poor that day, much like today and I and I expect Nigel Adkins, expect much better. Deano will be suspended and so Schneiderlin and Chappers will be in the centre of midfield which sounds a bit lightweight to me... we shall see. It will also be interesting to see if Sir Rickie remembers who he is by Saturday. Today, Bignall showed a turn of speed what obviously wasn't enough to get him away from Berkshire's finest on his night out and Barnard played with enough energy to probably earn himself a return to the starting line up next Saturday so, if Sir Rickie still thinks he’s Elvis, I expect to see The Bail Boys in partnership up front... Bignall and Barnard, the B-Boys, the Big Bad Bail Boys... do you think you're 'ard enough ?