With just under half an hour for Southampton to see out a result and Nigel Adkins having to balance changes with stability, it seemingly became a game of who had the bigger balls in the dugout. It may have been, in hindsight, Michael Appleton. As soon as Southampton scored, Portsmouth became a more forward and attacking team and it wasn’t without its risks, with Guly, Schneiderlin and Lallana all having chances to seal a victory.
Huseklepp came on for Lawrence, adding more dynamic flair to their attacks and shortly after, Mullins came off for a striker, the towering Futacs. Portsmouth had changed to a 4-4-2 and were looking for the equaliser. Southampton made one change: a like for like left back swap, with 13 minutes remaining. Pompey equalised in the last ten minutes, with Portsmouth-born Joel Ward grabbing a headed goal under no pressure from Southampton’s Guly Do Prado. The game finished 1-1.
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Portsmouth fans and indeed Portsmouth Football Club came away as the happier side of the divide, but for Southampton Football Club, pride and bragging rights aside, the point gained is statistically huge. Their 44th point of the season, ensures that the Red and White team of Hampshire go into Christmas as the league leaders, one point ahead of Sam Allardyce’s West Ham. For Southampton, history and the form books are on their side: the club top at Christmas have gone on to gain promotion to the Premier League in five of the last six seasons and with Southampton averaging two points a game, their form this season is enough to have won three of those last six titles.
Of course, as Adkins has said, “it [was] a special game, but it [was] just one game,” and for the fans, as Southampton’s academy starlet, Adam Lallana said, “it doesn’t matter what you do in the season as long as you win at Pompey, or don’t get beat!” Both have been realised: it was a special game and Southampton didn’t lose and now, going into Christmas as the league leaders, Saints must concentrate on making destiny definite. With their next two games on home turf, Saints will be expected to take all six points from the last games of 2011, despite not yet winning in December. For Saints and Adkins, it is time to draw a blue line under their last result and keep chipping away: “it’s about winning football games – it’s as simple as that.”
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/ For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
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