SAINTS ALIVE!
Martin’s men hit back to extend record run
SOUTHAMPTON did it the hard way by twice coming from behind to win an eight-goal thriller and extend their record unbeaten run to 25 matches.
The red-hot Saints trailed lowly Huddersfield 2-0 at half-time and 3-2 in the 80th minute, but roared back in a flurry of goals to stay second in the Championship.
‘I’m so proud of the players,’ said Saints’ boss Russell Martin. ‘They (Huddersfield) had nothing to lose and made it so tough.’
Southampton have not lost a game in any competition since the end of September and had won 10 in a row in front of their own fans.
And few would have envisaged that Huddersfield, in the throes of a relegation fight and without a full-time manager after Darren Moore’s sacking last month, would challenge Martin’s high-fliers.
But heroic Huddersfield and interim boss Jon Worthington clearly had not read the script and silenced St Mary’s with two unanswered goals.
It was Sorba Thomas who scored the opener, just the second goal Southampton had conceded at St Mary’s in three months. Nine minutes later they had conceded a second as Thomas this time turned provider for David Kasumu.
Saints fans booed their side off at half-time, though the mood changed dramatically when Joe Rothwell scored twice in 65 seconds, his first goals since a loan switch from Bournemouth.
If that was the cue for the floodgates to open, then Huddersfield had other ideas when Chelsea loanee Alex Matos looped a shot beyond a flailing Gavin Bazunu in the home goal. With Southampton’s unbeaten run now in serious jeopardy, they equalised through a Tom Lees own goal. And their relentless pressure finally paid off with first one substitute, Sekou Mara, then another, Samuel Edozie, scoring late on to stun the Terriers. ‘I told them at half-time it was an opportunity to show their spirit, because it’s easier when you are winning and things are going well,’ added Martin.
‘To get back to 2-2 and have the high, the feeling in the stadium, then go behind again, and how they dealt with that, the resilience and the impact of the subs, was amazing.’ This match may well be Worthington’s his last hurrah, with the club hoping to appoint a manager this week. He said: ‘We’ll take the positives. I was proud of our efforts.’