WHUFC vs Southampton -- May 4th, 2019

okay, let's get the May the 4th be with you jokes out of the way.... there was no trouble logging into the NBS Sports app today and we're off and running with that lovely claret padding around the pitch...

who's ready for the penultimate game of the season?

three minutes gone in what looks like a lovely sunny Stratford saturday - nothing much in it thus far

ooh... a bit more accuracy and Soton would be in the lead. Danced through the defense... played to the unmarked man on the far side and the shot is not far over the bar...

Hmmm... Diangana is out there... great spin and shot but from that range it goes miles over the br... let's try to find out what the team sheet says...

Noble plays a pass a little short (as per) so Fredericks gets beaten to the ball but it goes out for a corner... nothing from which comes...


so we got the ever present and lucky to have him or we'd probably been relegated by now... Fabianski

Diop & Balbuena

Masuaku, Noble, Obiang, Fredericks

Diangana, Lanzini, Arnautovic and Antonio

Nice to see the day start off with a loss by the Spuds... which as it stands puts Bournemouth 2 points behind us...

Palace could drop us a place if things go a bit squirrelly...

but as I say that... Arnie powers through the Soton defense and slide rules the ball into the back of the net.

Noble picked up the wayward Soton pass in midfield, chose to pass forwards (not his strength) and found Arnie who then did all the rest... 1-0...

Oh 11th place... you shall be ours...

awful clearance from Fabianski puts Fredericks in trouble and he's hacked down... fortunately without injury... but that could have undone our good work...

Very unusual but kinda pleasing to see us putting in a shift this late in the season... I mean... we've already pissed away any chance that there's anything to play for... but at least in the past two games and so far today, we've actually not been that bad.

Antonio goes down with a knock in the face as he jumped for a ball...

Rice and anderson are both missing through illness apparently... not seeing to miss either thus far as we try to do the double over the Saints for the first time in almost twenty years.

Quick reminder to all who can to head out early to get to Wembley to support the ladies in the Cup Final - hopefully their drive and success will rub off on the men for next season.

Obiang makes a perfectly violent challenge on a Saints player... the resulting free kick does not result in a goal - but let's not try to gift them too many chances, eh?

Masuaku blasts a shot over the bar...

not much to report.

we're clearly the on top side for the past few... Soon are obviously just happy to have secured Premier League survival for another year and haven't managed a shot on target yet.



it's great to see Fredericks and Diangana in the first team

Lanzini has a nice run but his pass is cut out by an outstretched foot...

game's a bit flat at the mo and a storm seems to have blown up form somewhere... everyone's wet and clinging to every bit of plastic they can find as a bit of cover...

three minutes to go till the oranges and a cup of tea...

2 minutes into stoppage time... Antonio forces a great save from the keeper.. and that's the end of the action in a decent game with some great touches form us...

only a goal to the good is never really safe and we could do with securing the points with an early goal or two in the second half but over all... a solid display from the Irons.

2nd half underway

Saints definitely put on their 'trying' boots at half time and have a corner after 90 seconds...

well defended but we had everyone back in the box so it just gives Soton a chance to regroup and attack

All Saints so far...

another corner... this one gets deflected out for yet another corner...

the game has a scruff and someone form our side needs to take ahold of it

still nothing going our way... all Soton.

Noble makes a last ditch tackle in the area...

possession stats have been reversed form the first half...

gonna be a long old 35 minutes if this keeps up

diangana goes on a run... his shot is blocked and the deflection just stops it getting too Arnie...

Lanzini goes in the book

a few moments of West Ham pressure have been extinguished as Soton get another corner that Fabianski just tips over the bar...

Could have been a pen... but Fredericks was in the right place at the right time to save it.

Lanzini manages a shot that just scrapes the wrong side of the post

Diangana is coming off to be replaced by Wilshere... not Grady's fault just a sign that we need to bolster the midfield to try to save this game...

Arnie bags his brace...

Fredericks powered down the flank... his cross gets deflected out and then Masuaku picks it up on the other wing... gets to the line... plays the ball in and the keeper can only punch it straight at Arnie who then nods the rebound into the empty net...


and now it's three...

Ryan Fredericks does the work again and this time gets the reward...

Wilshere played him in... so maybe the substitution was a piece of genius...


that's how you end the pressure properly...


2 goals in less than three minutes

Saints have totally gone off the boil...

West Ham clearly have our tails up

Good to see Arnie back on the Scoresheet.
Good to finish on a Winning streak at Home - I believe that if Watford Lose and we beat them next week then we finish 10th maybe even 9th if results go our way .

Not bad considering the start we had and all the changes that have happen and the injuries on top of that.

noble comes off to loud applause... he's a tally been good in these last two games.
Carlos Sanchez comes on for what feels like a debut as it's been so long since he's been injured for such a long time...

Arran wrote:Good to see Arnie back on the Scoresheet.
Good to finish on a Winning streak at Home - I believe that if Watford Lose and we beat them next week then we finish 10th maybe even 9th if results go our way .

Not bad considering the start we had and all the changes that have happen and the injuries on top of that.

Morning Arran,

hear what you're saying... but the story is that we threw away 7th place.

what we need going forward is consistency... we have some talented players, when we're on our game, we're pretty good... we just fail to turn up far too often... and that needs to change.

With players like Diangana, Fredericks, Rice, etc we have good young talent and we should definitely be a consistent top ten side

Lanzini come off to be replaced by Perez...

Arnie stands over the free kick... and from 35 yard he almost got it on target

with the game in the bag, no reason for people not to head off to wembley...

Perez puts Arnie through... he turns and curls a shot just past the post... wold have been an awesome hat trick... but never mind...