League 1 Match 46 - Southampton 3 Walsall 1

Willo Gets Stuck In

Walsall were the visitors as we rolled up to SMS for the last time this season to what was a rarity… a game with no pressure on it…. for us anyway.  Win, lose or draw – it didn’t matter as we were up and it was Promotion Day.  I personally was looking forward to see if the collection of moaning bastards who sit around me would actually be happy but the game itself would be interesting because Walsall were one of three teams who could go down.  There were many permutations but in a nutshell, they needed to get a better result than Dagenham and Redbridge (who play like us apparently) who were away at Peterborough.

Walsall beat us earlier in the season when their keeper, Jimmy Walker had the game of his life and kept out about 25 on target shots.  Walker was in goal again today and the Saints side trying to finally get one past him today was pretty much full strength with the Gulyman returning to the right wing and Morgan Schneiderlin getting a start in central midfield.  Alex Chamberlain made a return to the bench which did not include either Dale Stephens or Dany N’Guessan, so I think we can safely say that that’s the last we’ll see of those two.  It would be interesting to see what the attitude of our players would be like – whose mind would be on the beach and who’s been out on the piss all week etc.  The Saints Creative Department has been busy again and we all held up cards which spelt out ‘COMING FOR YOU, CHEATING SKATE BASTARDS’ which should have looked good on the TV.

Any thoughts of Saints being in party mode were dispelled in the opening few minutes as Walsall defender Cook, gifted us the ball and Guly smashed in a shot which the flying fat bloke tipped over the bar.  We forged another chance straight away with Hammond, playing father forward as a result of Schneiderlin being in the team, arriving at the edge of the box and firing just over.

Saints were trying to pick their way through the middle of the Walsall defence, populated as it was, with Ollie Lancashire.  Sir Rickie chipped a pass to Connolly who headed down to the Gulyman who stretched a telescopic leg and flicked goalwards, only to be denied by another good save from Walker.

Twas a matter of time and the time arrived on 20 minutes when Cook played another crap ball and Schneiderlin broke up a Walsall attack before feeding Connolly who turned it into the path of the Gulyman who cut inside the left back onto his left foot and scored with ease.  Walsall looked very down at this point and from virtually the next attack it was 2-0 as Connolly, Hammond and Lallana almost overplayed it but eventually sorted it so out for Connolly to fire through the legs of a defender and in at Walker’s near post.

Long balls upto Jon Macken were the order of the day and he, with his face like a bulldog chewing a wasp, was getting progressively more irritated at being ‘trained’ by Radhi Jaidi.  It was nearly 3-0 as Deano hit the post from a tight angle before Walsall realised it wasn’t happening for them and replaced the holding midfielder with the odd name, with another forward.  The guy who’d gone off had not so much held the midfield, as waved a white flag to allow people to run through unattended.

On half time and out of nowhere, Julian Gray picked up the ball on the right wing, cut across Dicko and Lallana and curled a superb shot past Superkelv and into the net for 2-1.  Where did that come from?  Well, at least it would stop any complacency creeping in.

It was half time and there had been no moaning from the Chuckle Brothers, no whining, nothing.  I assumed they weren’t there but there they were, smiling and relaxed.  Excellent.  I still do not want them to renew their season tickets for next season.  We had one of the missing 10,000 sat just behind us as well who was obviously not used to the Kingsland central section, swearing his head off and being extremely pissed.  His girlfriend/wife who was sat with him was wearing the kind of fixed grin/grimace which showed both embarrassment and the fact that he wasn’t getting any tonight.

After a nondescript opening to the second half, Guly made way for Chamberlain who took all of thirty seconds to show us what we’ve been missing as he fastened onto a Hammond pass and hit the far post with Walker nowhere.  The ball ended up being fed back to Connolly in front of goal but he played an airshot when it looked easier to score and the ball hit his standing leg and went out for a goal kick.

Walsall had a flurry and Saints defended in a panic as Dicko failed to clear a ball, catching the airshot disease and Superkelv made a good save from Gray before Grigg the sub, stabbed the rebound against a post.  The Walsall boys were in full voice a minute later when Macken stopped chewing a wasp long enough to stab in a rebound when Davis failed to collect a shot from outside the box. Offside and a spot on decision.

It was game over a minute later as from the free kick, Saints went forward with Connolly and Lallana supplying Chambo who cut onto his left foot before curling a shot past Walker and in off the far post.  Beautiful goal and what a player we have here.

Chappers came on for Morgan who had been superb and an almighty cheer from the Walsall boys as it was announced that Dagenham and Redbridge were losing 4-0.  The season was over for all concerned at SMS but he may be 37 and overweight, but Walker was still performing heroics for Walsall, making two blinding saves in quick succession from Chambo and Connolly who both should have scored.  For my money, this is the best goalkeeper we've come across this season.

There was about 5 minutes to go when the stadium announcer requested that everyone stayed off the pitch as a little tin pot was to be presented to the team at the end of the game.  He got about 3 words out before being drowned out and my money was firmly on about 20,000 people being on the pitch at the end.  Final whistle, Fans on Pitch 30,000 Stadium Announcer 0.  We are going up!  I spoke to one of the stewards on the pitch who said that the club and the league fully expect home fans on the pitch and their job is purely to keep the away fans off – if they get on then the club gets hammered.

The Tin pot was eventually presented up on the balcony thing in front of the Directors Box and as presentations go, it wasn’t one of the best but it didn’t need to be.  30,000 happy people on the pitch is all you need really.  Smiling people, grown men crying, cheering kids – it’s what it’s all about really.  Didn’t see the Chuckle Brothers on the pitch but I’m sure they would have been moaning about something.

The post match interviews were not really about the game but about the celebrations and the season as a whole.  For me, this game was an odd one as it looked like we were going to win about 8-0 but then we took our foot off the gas a bit and Walsall could easily have got back to 2-2 but then they seemed to ease off when it became obvious that they were going to stay up as the Daggers were getting stuffed.  Regardless of who was easing off, Fatty in goal made 4 or 5 unbelievable saves to keep the score down.  For us, Chambo was frightening when he came on and could easily have had a hat-trick which would have sent the tabloids into meltdown about which club we’d accepted a ten million bid from.  I thought Guly and Deano had good games for us but star of the show was Schneiderlin.

I turned up with the family on Sunday, to watch the Saints Day game against the old boys which was played in a great spirit.  Anyone who got there early would have seen Paul Wotton launch a slide tackle on Chaplow and Hammond who were stood having a chat in the warm up at the time.  An early highlight was Chambo trying to beat Paul Williams for pace.  He tried to go round him on the right which was a mistake as you’re supposed to go round roundabouts to the left.  Big lad was Willo.  My 6 year old son opined that Willo was “even bigger than you Dad”.   No pocket money for you....

On the other end of the scale, Inigo Idiakez looked leaner and fitter than when he was playing for us while Paul Telfer, Jo Tessem, Claus Lundekvam, Michael Svensson and Ken Monkou all looked exactly the same as they did years earlier.  Claus gave a pre match interview to the annoying bald bloke which put me in mind of the film ‘Kingpin’.  So Claus, what have you been doing since you retired?’.,,, he should have said ‘Drinking’ but I don’t really know what he said because the PA is shite.  The game itself finished 4-1 to the current side with Idiakez opening the scoring before Sir Rickie and Guly made it 2-1 past Antii Niemi.  Paul Jones was in goal for the 2^nd half to concede to a Guly 35 yarder and a goal from Ben Reeves, one of our production line of Academy boys who are all 5 foot 8 with blonde hair.  We are cloning them in a lab by the look of it.  Lap of honour, job done, here comes summer.

As seasons go it’s been superb with our form at the business end of the season being nothing short of phenomenal with 40 points out of 45.  There is momentum that will still be there come August and the new season in the Championship.  I think that this side with no additions will finish in the top half but there will be additions (Nigel says) and we should be aiming for a playoff place at least.  We seem to play better against better sides and that should stand us in good stead. 

Just for giggles really, here’s a little league table made up on results the top 6 got against each other this season.  If it shows anything, it shows how everyone performed against the better sides this year, which is kinf of relevant as there are no dire sides in the Championship, like there are in League 1.

	BRI	SOU	HUD	PET	MKD	BOU
Brighton		1-2	2-3	3-1	2-0	1-1
Southampton	0-0		4-1	4-1	3-2	2-0
Huddersfield	2-1	2-0		1-1	4-1	2-2
Peterborough	0-3	4-4	4-2		2-1	3-3
MK Dons	1-0	2-0	1-3	1-0		2-0
Bournemouth	1-0	1-3	1-1	5-1	3-2

	P	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	Diff	PTS
Southampton	10	4	1	0	13	4	2	1	2	9	10	8	20
Huddersfield	10	3	2	0	11	5	2	1	2	10	12	4	18
Bournemouth	10	3	1	1	11	7	0	2	3	6	10	0	12
MK Dons	10	4	0	1	7	3	0	0	5	6	14	-4	12
Brighton	10	2	1	2	9	7	1	1	3	4	4	2	11
Peterborough	10	2	2	1	13	13	0	1	4	4	14	-10	9

...so... we look good to take on the better opposition next season.... and Brighton don’t.  Better learn to play like Dagenham and Redbridge, Gus!

Season player summaries to follow... WE ARE GOING UP!!!

Oh yeah... and we get the opportunity to put the record straight against the Skates who just might have players that they can afford by that time.  Doubt it though...

Season 2010/11 - The End!!!