The great give-away
Reporter: by TONY BUGBY
Date published: 19 October 2009
Athletic 1
Southampton 3
DEAN BRILL was a sinner as in-form Saints ended Athletic’s five-match unbeaten run on Saturday.
The ’keeper looked to have conquered his early-season jitters, but they returned to haunt him at Boundary Park.
It wasn’t a ‘Brill’ afternoon for the shot-stopper. His two blunders proved Athletic’s undoing just as they thought they had overcome the defensive troubles which had marred the start of the campaign.
You would never have imagined Athletic had kept four clean sheets in their previous five matches in Coca-Cola League One judging by this wayward display.
All three of the Saints goals came from errors so elementary that any schoolboy or Sunday league player would have been embarrassed.
Brill’s two gaffes in the opening quarter of the game handed Saints the initiative in a manner they could not have envisaged.
After Pawel Abbott had thrown Athletic a lifeline in the second half, there was yet another great give-away as Alex Marrow presented Saints with their third goal.
It was yet another afternoon in which visiting teams found that charity begins at Boundary Park, where Athletic’s home form continues to disappoint with only two wins from seven league games.
Saints’ early-season form was erratic. Manager Alan Pardew admitted it was hard psychologically to start the campaign with a 10-point penalty, but they have really got their act together since wiping out the deficit.
Saturday’s win was their fourth on the the trot in league and cup.
They played the most attractive football any team had produced against Athletic, although it was difficult to tell whether that was due to their excellence or the failings of Dave Penney’s players.
The Athletic manager named the same starting line up that kicked off at Charlton, with his hand again restricted by injury.
The afternoon of woe began in the 12th minute when Brill was at fault for Saints’ opening goal.
He lost his bearings and failed to get to a corner from Lloyd James, which presented Dean Hammond with a free header which looped into the net.
It went from bad to worse when, minutes later, midfield man Jon Worthington was taken from the pitch on a stretcher after sustaining a serious injury to his left leg.
Kieran Lee was brought on as an emergency right-back, with Alex Marrow pushing into the centre of the park.
Athletic conceded their second goal midway through the opening period after Dean Furman conceded a foul about 30 yards from goal. Ricky Lambert’s free kick appeared harmless but it somehow squirmed through the grasp of Brill as he dived low to his left and into the net.
Lambert sensed Brill’s confidence had been shot to smithereens. Minutes later, he struck the top of the crossbar from just outside the centre circle with the ’keeper desperately back pedalling.
Adam Lallana saw a header flash inches wide as Saints could have been even further in front.
Athletic only mustered one clear-cut chance in a dire opening period when Keigan Parker burst past the pedestrian Raidi Jaidi, only for Kelvin Davis to show why he was once a Premier League keeper with a super save.
Athletic’s charitable streak continued early in the second half when a terrible clearance from Joe Colbeck let in Saints again, but Morgan Schneiderlin shot wide with the goal at his mercy.
Athletic, to their credit, refused to throw in the towel and were rewarded for their gutsy efforts when they halved the deficit midway through the second half.
Marrow made a marvellous weaving run into the penalty areas, only to see his shot strike the upright low to the left of Davis. But the predatory Abbott was on hand to slot home his fifth goal of the season from two yards.
Suddenly it was game on as Athletic sensed a comeback which had appeared impossible.
But Saints raised the bar again as Lambert struck the woodwork for a second time with a venomous free-kick from 25 yards.
The visitors finally sealed victory with seven minutes left when Marrow could not have picked a worse player to find with a stray pass.
Substitute David Connolly picked up the loose ball and the former Sunderland and Eire striker found a clear route to goal to fire high into the roof of the net.
It was the final embarrassment on an afternoon to forget for Athletic.
ATHLETIC: Brill, Marrow, Lomax, Hazell, Gregan, Colbeck (Blackman 57), Furman, Worthington (Lee 16), Whitaker, Abbott, Parker. Subs (not used): Black, Brooke, Ollerenshaw, Rowney, McKerr.
SOUTHAMPTON: Davis, James, Trotman, Jaidi, Harding, Wotton, Papa Waigo (Antonio 69), Schneiderlin (Connolly 76), Hammond, Lallana (Mills 90), Lambert. Subs (not used): Thomas, Perry, Bialkowski, Mellis.
Shots/headers on target: Athletic 4, Southampton 3.
Shots/headers off target: Athletic 4, Southampton 7.
Woodwork: Athletic 1, Southampton 2.
Corners: Athletic 6, Southampton 4.
Offsides: Athletic 4, Southampton 4.
Fouls: Athletic 9, Southampton 13.
The goals — Athletic: Abbott (66). Southampton — Hammond (12), Lambert (23) and Connolly (83).
The cards — Athletic: n Lomax (77 foul). Southampton — n Connolly (83 goal celebration).
Referee: Mr D Foster (Tyne and Wear).
Attendance: 5,341.
Star man: Dean Furman
Industrious and energetic in the centre of midfield.
