Saturday 19th September 2009

Saints finally won their first league game of the season after a comfortable 2-0 victory at home to Yeovil this afternoon.
Penalties in each half from Rickie Lambert were enough to ensure three points in a game which Saints controlled from the start. The home side started out stronger and won a penalty just after 15 minutes when Marek Saganowski was fouled in the box. Lambert made no mistake from 12 yards out and despite some pressure from Yeovil, Southampton went into half time with the lead. Lambert then effectively killed the game off on 51 minutes with his second penalty which came about from a Yeovil hand ball in the area. With Saints 2-0 up the St Marys crowd could relax and enjoy themselves as the away team rarely threatened to pull one back.
To be fair, at the time I didn't think either penalty should have been given (I'll take a proper look at the highlights tomorrow), but after no wins in our first seven games I would've taken a win today in any shape or form.

Saints player ratings-

Kelvin Davis - 7 - Made some good saves when called into action and collected well from crosses.

Wayne Thomas - 6 - Did what was needed to be done at right back, offered little going forward though.

Neal Trotman - 7 - Strong in the air, but wasn't kept too busy by the Yeovil attack.

Radhi Jaidi - 7 - Formed a good partnership with Trotman, encouraging home debut.

Dan Harding - 8 - Didn't put a foot wrong and played some good long balls down the left wing.

Lloyd James - 6 - Played some good passes, but some poor balls as well.

Morgan Schneiderlin - 7 - Made some great runs and put a few decent tackles in too.

Dean Hammond - 9 - MAN OF THE MATCH - Brilliant box to box play, protected the defence and was a creative spark.

Adam Lallana - 7 - Made some good runs and was an important component of the counter attack.

Marek Saganowski - 8 - Worked tirelessly and formed a strong partnership in attack with Lambert.

Rickie Lambert - 8 - Spot on with both penalties, played better than last week as he wasn't stranded up front on his own today.

Subs-

Jospeh Mills (on for Schneiderlin) - 7 - Energetic, made a crucial six yard box interception late on.

Papa Waigo N'Daiye (on Marek Saganowski) - 7 - Showed a glimpse of his skill with some creative attacking play.

Paul Wotton (on for Thomas) - 7 - Won the ball and kept it well in the middle of the park.

So there is a lot of positives to take from today's game, now with their first win under their belts we're all helping Saints can go on a winning streak, starting with the long trip to Carlisle next Saturday.