Hazza: Saints in need of fans
SOUTHAMPTON boss Ralph Hasenhuttl admits his team have missed their fans.
Top of the Premier League in November, the Saints have slid to the fringes of the drop zone in recent weeks.
Hasenhuttl (above) has steered his side through to an FA Cup quarter-final tie against Bournemouth this month. He said: “We miss the fans, we wish to have them back.
“It’s a completely different game with the fans. We had the experience of them coming back and we enjoyed it very much.
“We had a home win over Sheffield United in December and it was very emotional. There were only around 2,000 there, but it was fantastic. We miss them very much.
“Hopefully, we’ll see them this season. That would be perfect.”
Though the Saints’ Premier League form has dipped significantly, Hasenhuttl his hoping that his side’s appearance in the last eight of the FA Cup could compensate.
Southampton lifted the cup with a shock victory over Manchester United in 1976 – the only major trophy in the club’s history – and Hasenhuttl says he understands the history of the FA Cup having watched the final when growing up in Austria.
He added: “When I was a kid, I knew all about the FA Cup Final.
“It was one of the first games we saw as children and I don’t think the cup has lost any of its fame.
“We have picked a strong team and taken the cup very seriously.
“We know how important this is for the club.”
■■Arsenal have only one clean sheet in 11 games in all competitions (0-0 v Man Utd in January), after keeping five in a row directly before that. ■■Burnley have drawn five consecutive home league games for the third ti after a run of six games endin run of five ending in October ■■Arsenal striker Pierre-Em
GARETH AINSWORTH vowed his Wycombe team will never stop scrapping to avoid relegation.
Goals from Rhys Norrington-Davies and Harry Souttar condemned the Chairboys to defeat, which leaves them 12 points adrift of safety.
But the Wanderers boss insists his boys will not throw in the towel.
He said: “We are still fighting hard. Even at 2-0 down we were fighting.
“Games are running out and it is tough, but we are fighting hard.
“We are always going to fight and try. We are never going to give up no matter how dark the fight seems.
“We have 12
VITAL STATS STOKE
games to go and we need Potters boss Michael O’Neill to win 75 per cent of them.” felt his side should have
Norrington-Davies fired won by more.
Stoke ahead with a cool He said: “We deserved to finish after a brilliant win the game, there is no one-two with Steven doubt about it.
Fletcher after 64 minutes “But we were wasteful in before Souttar’s the first 20 mins. We played header put the well in the second half and game to bed it’s disappointing we didn’t moments later. win by more.”
STOKE CITY: Gunn 6, Smith 8, Souttar 6, Chester 6, Norrington-Davies 8, Obi 6, Allen 5, Brown 7 (Oakley-Boothe 55, 6), Powell 7 (Thompson 85), Clarke 6, Fletcher 7.
WYCOMBE: Stockdale 6, McCarthy 7, Tafazolli 8, Stewart 8, Jacobson 7, Wheeler 7 (Onyedinma 74, 5), Knight 6 (Ofoborh 85), McCleary 6 (Horgan 73, 5), Muskwe 5 (Kashket 80), Ikpeazu 7 (Akinfenwa 80), Mehmeti 5.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Tommy Smith. Was a constant threat down the right and delivered threatening crosses throughout.
REFEREE: Andy Woolmer 8.
WYCOMBE 6 ........ Shots on Target ......... 2 8 ........ Shots off Target ......... 7 6 ................ Corners ................. 4 18 ................. Fouls .................... 4 3 ............... Offsides ................. 5 74.6 Passing Success % 56.7 516 ....... Total Passes ........ 282 65.2 ..... Possession % ..... 34.8 52.6 .Territorial Adv % .. 47.4