Sunday 13th September 2009

Saints ended Charlton's 100% league record yesterday with an entertaining 1-1 draw at The Valley.
The away team, whose 3,000 traveling fans created a great atmosphere, took the lead towards the end of the first half when Adam Lallana converted a low Wayne Thomas cross. But Charlton rallied in the second half when Deon Burton capitalised on a defensive mix up to equalise from close range within 5 minutes of the restart. Southampton then rode their luck a bit, with the home team having plenty of opportunities to kill the game, but were denied by the woodwork. In reflection, a draw seems a fair result, Saints played better in the first half, whereas Charlton looked stronger in the second half.
One concern for Saints fans after today would be the team's lack of confidence in front of goal. Plenty of opportunities were created in the first half, but there was no composure in the penalty area. The 4-5-1 tactic adopted by Pardew for this game suggests a priority was avoiding defeat, rather than taking all three points, as Lambert didn't get much support from the midfield.
Southampton are the first team to take any points from table topping Charlton, so this is a positive and something to build on in the next few games, as they look for their first league win of the season.

Saints player ratings-

Kelvin Davis - 6 - Didn't take the cross that led to Charlton's goal, but redeemed himself later with a good near post save.

Wayne Thomas - 6 - Played a good ball into the box for Lallana to score, but was lacking defensively.

Chris Perry - 8 - Dominant in the air, outstanding considering his limited height.

Neal Trotman - 8 - Another encouraging performance from the Preston loanee, like Perry he won most of the balls in the air.

Dan Harding - 7 - Showed grit and determination, not afraid to get stuck in.

Adam Lallana - 7 - Took his goal well, was a constant attacking threat.

Dean Hammond 8 - SAINTS MAN OF THE MATCH - Was always involved in the action, covered a lot of ground in protecting defence and setting up attack.

Morgan Schneiderlin - 7 - Played some good long balls and had a few shots on goal from a distance.

Lloyd James - 6 - Was solid, but didn't offer much in attack, would've preferred to have seen another striker instead of packing the midfield with him.

Joseph Mills - 6 - Struggled to cope with Charlton's physical approach and took a few knocks, but tried hard to be involved in the game.

Rickie Lambert - 6 - Looked isolated up front on his own, always outnumbered by the Charlton defence.

Subs-

Radhi Jaidi (on for Perry) - 6 - The debutant gave confidence to defence when brought on, wasn't afraid to get forward.

Jacob Mellis (on for Mills) - 6 - Best used as an impact sub, unlucky not to win a penalty late on.

Papa Waigo N'diaye (on for Lallana) - 6 - His very brief appearance delighted the away crowd, made a good tackle in stoppage time to prevent a Charlton counter.

I can't complain too much about an away point against the promotion contenders, it was an enjoyable day out, but Saints are still looking for their first league win, which we all hope will come at home to Yeovil next Saturday.
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