Pre-match thoughts
I’m expecting a nervy game, hopefully not from the players, but the fans will have their hearts in their mouths and on their sleeves today. A Sarmiento moment would be brilliant; better still, two or three, preferably in the first half, not the last few seconds of extra time!
That was one home game last year that anyone watching will never forget. I’ve watched the short video several times this week – for luck. I also sent it to my pal Martyn in Hastings, who texted to say Southampton would get their first away win this Saturday. Huh.
There is very little to be deduced from recent stats, though some wag said the Saints shouldn’t own a dog…because they can’t hold a lead. Something we can identify with ourselves in retrospect for a couple of games this year!
Previous results
Sep 21, 2024: Southampton 1-1 Ipswich (Premier League)
Apr 01, 2024: Ipswich 3-2 Southampton (Championship)
Sep 19, 2023: Southampton 0-1 Ipswich (Championship)
Head-to-head
Previous head to heads in all competitions: 71
Ipswich wins: 27
Draws: 21
Southampton wins: 23
Southampton FC are nicknamed the "The Saints" because it was originally a church football team, and this is signified by a halo at the top of their badge.
Albert Grønbaek and Welington Damascena Santos (aka simply Welington, though Santos is unbelievably apt), may both feature in their first appearance for the Saints and our new signings Godfrey, Enciso and Jaden may well play a significant part in this game too.
Glen Kamara will not.
Southampton and Ipswich were among the clubs competing to sign the former Leeds man, but the latest news is that he has opted for the mega-rich Saudi Arabian club Al-Shabab.
So, the odds are even for both of us in that respect.
We are also even on goals conceded: 14 Premier League goals in 2025, the joint most of any side. Now is our chance to alter that balance.
Two brothers on the train and their handsome Saints’ supporting friend were all predicting a score draw. If that happens, we will all have something to cheer about.
Sadly, I dropped my favourite sweatshirt between the station and the ground, which is not a good omen.
Some bad news: Really sorry to hear details of Wes Burns’ injury, out for the rest of the season.
Some good news: Luke Woolfenden has signed a new two and a half years contract. Woolfie, our academy graduate, has stepped up well to this level, playing for his home town crowd.
First half
Town started well and looked lively, and the crowd were in good voice. There was an air of optimism, a sense of relief perhaps after the tough opponents of the last two games. For most of the half, Town were in the ascendant and had several shots on goal, and though some were tame, a Nathan Broadhead shot tested Ramsdale, who had a good game.
The first goal came in this half. Against the run of play, Muric failed to stop Joe Aribo's volley in the 21st minute, putting the Saints ahead. Ten minutes later, from a Broadhead pass, Delap’s goal was a sweet one-on-one conversion when Bednarek failed to contain his run. His shot was executed with perfect composure.
Just before halftime, Welington dived in and fouled Tuanzebe on the edge of the Southampton box. A long overdue yellow card followed, and a free kick for Town. Enciso tried to bend a low shot around the wall and inside the near post but grazed the side-netting in a near miss.
Halftime: Ipswich 1-1 Southampton
Still feeling optimistic as we were showing as the better team so far, we looked forward to more Town goals.
Second half
At the beginning of this half, play was slightly more turgid, and after a couple of shaky goal-mouth moments, Town’s momentum appeared to have stalled to some extent. It's tough to say about the ‘chap at the back’, but goalkeeper errors must affect the rest of the team’s confidence, mindset, and equilibrium even more than they impact us in the crowd.
As much as late goals cause devastation, late, unnecessary goals are a real killer for the players. Perhaps we should keep that in mind when we critically analyse match play.
We were still the better team and should have capitalised on our chances, though where were the corner-of-the-net humdingers from Hutchinson, the pinpoint blasts from Davis, and the alleged outside-the-box screamers expected from Enciso?
In my opinion, Hirst was subbed to join the mix far too late in the game to make an impact. I wonder if his fitness is still an issue, as he was predicted to be out through injury for far longer.
For the last twenty minutes, Town stepped up the pace until Onuachu netted a rebound straight to his feet, courtesy of Muric, to score the second and winning goal for the visitors on 87 minutes.
Fulltime: Ipswich 1-2 Southampton.
Men of the Match
DeLap played well this week, not looking so tired, but still seems a little isolated out front at times. O’Shea and Greaves were pretty solid, and Cajuste looked lively as always.
I was impressed with a first showing from Enciso – definitely one to watch.
Man of the match: Nathan Broadhead.
Round up and thoughts
No doubt Martyn in Hastings is happy.
Despite 15 shots – six of which were on target – Town couldn’t make the most of their chances. Two soft goals ‘gave’ this match to Southampton, though Town were the better team for most of the match.
I try very hard not to be negative or too critical of individual players, but today, I’m going to say what I saw and felt. I confess my heart sank when I heard Christian Walton was injured. The team plays more confidently when he’s in the goal.
I’m not a coach, but I would like to understand why Muric messes about with the ball in front of his goal, wastes time, and makes short passes to the defence too often. I’m told it’s called ‘playing out from the back’, but does it always work? Walton does it when safe to do so, but he opts mainly to pass long and get the game moving—moving the action back up the pitch, especially in more urgent moments.
It was frustrating to watch Muric play for time in the second half (even in the eight added minutes at two goals down), with the crowd screaming at him to get the ball up the pitch. While Walton is injured, is it time to try ‘Slicks between the sticks’?
After Liam Delap had pulled Ipswich level and Town were pushing for a winner, Muric was at fault again with three minutes to play, parrying Sulemana's shot straight into the path of Onuachu.
In the last twenty minutes, Town dominated much of the possession but resorted to too much back passing when they should have been pressing.
Before Christmas, I thought Town were starting to gel with players old and new and were playing with a more cohesive, intuitive togetherness. After the January window, however, they may have to go through the process again with three new signings who have had little training at the club or match time.
They will be trying to prove their worth as individuals while the whole team still needs to find its identity as a unit in Premiership football. Some of the best games we have witnessed this year have been those in which three-quarters of the team played together last season—continuity and familiarity obviously aid performance.
Today’s game was disappointing because we can and have played so much better.
I hope this is the only time I have to write such a grumpy column.
View from the train
I spent the journey talking about football and art with John, who recently appeared on Antiques Roadshow.
We made an executive decision not to watch MotD tonight.
Maybe tomorrow…
