You Saint gonna make the same mistakes again

PAUL WILLIAMS is praying that history doesn’t repeat itself if Southampton reach the FA Cup final. The former defender was in the squad that reached the Millennium Stadium 15 years ago, only to see their dreams dashed in a 1-0 defeat by Arsenal. But the man who was on bench says the game marked a watershed in the club’s history. And with Mark Hughes’ side scrapping for survival in the Premier League, he is anxious for lightning not to strike twice. Williams (right) said: “Within six or seven months of that final, manager Gordon Strachan had left and the team that played for him in Cardiff was broken up. “It was a competitive side in the Premier League. “There was a good mix of age and experience, and James Beattie was right on top of his game in front of goal. “We had a strong spine with the likes of Jason Dodd, Matt Oakley, Chris Marsden and Claus Lundekvam with Antti Niemi in goal. Those guys knew their jobs. “If we had brought in another top-quality forward then it would possibly have taken us on another step. As it was, that was as good as it got. “Within another couple of years the club had slipped into League One and it was fortunate that the likes of Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana were around to get the club back into the Championship and then the Premier League. “Now I wonder what will happen if the club fails to make the final and then suffers relegation. I can see a few of the players leaving. I know that Southampton have been pounced upon by bigger clubs and a lot of their talent has gone.

“It was run fantastically well under Nicola Cortese.

“Good recruitment is the hardest part of football and, although they have had a good record of bringing in players over the past few years, you wonder if their luck will run out.”

The former England Under-20 coach says that the decision to relieve Claude Puel of his duties 12 months ago may have been part of their downfall.

He added: “They decided to sack Claude Puel – who finished eighth and reached the League Cup final. You have to ask what exactly they were looking for.”

But Williams believes FA Cup glory is within Southampton’s grasp. “People talk about the FA Cup being devalued but, once the players get a sense that it might be their year, you don’t see them fielding weakened teams from the quarter-finals onwards, do you?

“As for the final I was involved with, I can’t recall too much about the game itself but what I do remember is turning down the main street in Cardiff and just seeing a sea of our fans in yellow as the coach made its way to the Millennium Stadium.

“It was a fantastic sight. I was only sorry that we couldn’t give them a day out to truly remember.”