Resolute Latics keep Saints at bay

ARM WRESTLE: Alex Marrow receives an unwelcome tug from Dean Hammond.

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Southampton 0, Athletic 0

Point is just reward for show of spirit

AN HEROIC, steadfast defensive effort bought another away point as Athletic hung on — somehow — to claim a draw at the St Mary’s Stadium.

As this game progressed, with Southampton throwing more and more men forward in a desperate attempt to break the deadlock, a goal seemed inevitable.

The home side needed to win to maintain realistic hopes of reaching the Coca-Cola League One play-offs.

And but for a host of goalmouth clearances and last-ditch tackles, plus an astonishing miss from substitute Papa Waigo N’Diaye, they would have claimed it.

Simply for the effort levels and determination shown by Dave Penney’s men, that would have been harsh.

Claiming all three points was also a realistic prospect at one point in the second half.

Substitute striker Tom Eaves broke from the left with 20 minutes left, ran at centre-back Dan Seaborne and created a shooting opportunity from the edge of the penalty area.

His powerful right-footed shot was saved low down to his right by Kelvin Davis — and when the ball popped out, Alex Marrow appeared favourite to tuck away the rebound before the Southampton goalkeeper reacted superbly to smother the chance.

Maybe that would have been a little greedy.

Visiting ’keeper Darryl Flahavan was by far the busier and was called on to beat away shots from all sorts of angles in the second half as the pressure grew.

At times the goalmouth action was so frenetic it resembled a cup tie as the minutes ticked away, with Athletic cast in the role of plucky underdogs.

Thankfully, no replay is necessary. At least, until next season.

Penney made two changes to the side that won 2-1 at Carlisle United in a bid to “freshen up”, with Marrow and Jon Worthington stepping into the five-man midfield at the expense of Dale Stephens and Danny Whitaker, both of whom took up places on the substitutes’ bench.

Penney would have been keen to see his side ride out the early storm with few panicky moments and by and large that was achieved.

Flahavan was only troubled once in the first half, smuggling out Rickie Lambert’s well-struck 35-yard free-kick by diving low to his left — relieving those 229 Athletic fans present at the St Mary’s Stadium who remember Dean Brill’s howler when dealing with a similar effort from the 34-goal hitman at Boundary Park.

Other than that, Athletic dealt well with the wave after wave of home pressure in the opening half, which failed to amount to much in no small part thanks to the collective efforts of the back line.

With the possession stats firmly in favour of Pardew’s side — Athletic couldn’t get any sort of a passing game going in midfield with their two primary ball-players sitting on the bench — Penney would have stressed to his side the importance of getting Guy and Smalley more involved in the second half.

Both sides made midfield changes at half-time, Southampton exchanging Paul Wotton for substitute Lloyd James and Athletic bringing on Stephens for Dean Furman to try to get a hold on the game.

The visitors started the second period brightly, but were soon thankful for Marrow’s superb intervention.

The midfielder summoned up all his defensive nous to run behind Flahavan to block Adam Lallana’s goal-bound shot three yards out after Lambert had got the better of Sean Gregan.

Reuben Hazell then received an apparent let-off when his handball, in jumping for a header at the edge of his own box, wasn’t spotted by referee Kevin Wright.

Lambert forced Flahavan to bat away his effort before Eaves came into the fray for the ineffective Pawel Abbott, who got a yellow card for his slow crawl off the field.

Then came Eaves’ excellent cameo, before Athletic were forced on the back foot once again.

Flahavan was called upon to parry Jason Puncheon’s first-time shot and Jose Fonte’s looping header soon after, before Puncheon struck a free-kick a yard wide with the Athletic ‘keeper rooted to the spot.

Another big handball shout came against Kieran Lee when Lallana’s centre appeared to hit a dangling arm at point-black range, before Paul Black cleared Fonte’s effort away while inside the six-yard area.

With seven minutes left Deane Smalley forced Davis into action with a cross shot after Athletic broke against a sparsely-populated Southampton defence, the goalkeeper gathering at the second attempt.

The rest of the game was one-way traffic.

Black again did well to block Lambert’s header, and as the match entered added time Southampton so nearly got their goal.

Lambert snuck up on Gregan and crossed powerfully with only a touch apparently needed to turn the ball home.

There was N’Diaye, charging in at the far post — and, somehow, contriving to hit the ball in completely the opposite direction from goal when three yards out.

Gregan made up for that lapse by using all his experience to stop the marauding Lallana in his tracks in the fifth extra minute, thus helping his side to another crucial draw.


Latics’ next game: Saturday, Southend (H), Coca-Cola League One