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Saints on brink of Wembley final (From Hampshire Chronicle)
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Saints on brink of Wembley final
7:30am Tuesday 9th February 2010
HISTORY is fully on Saints’ side tonight as they bid to reach Wembley for the first time in 18 years.
Saints have only ever played at the home of English football four times since the stadium was first built in 1923.
Now they are 90 minutes away from beating MK Dons to reach the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final.
Alan Pardew stands on the verge of becoming only the third ever Saints boss to lead the club to Wembley, the second version of which was opened in 2007.
And ace striker Rickie Lambert, right, will be going in search of his second JPT southern final winner in four seasons.
Saints welcome MK Dons to St Mary’s tonight holding a 1-0 advantage from winning the Johnstone’s Paints Trophy southern area final first leg 1-0 at stadium:mk almost three weeks ago.
Over 27,000 fans – a tournament record for a game outside of the final – are expected to pack into the stadium, and the history books are on Saints’ side.
Only once in the competition’s 26-year history has a club won the area final first leg away from home and NOT progressed to the final.
That was back in 1989 when Torquay lost the first leg of their southern final 2-1 at home to Wolves, only to win 2-0 at Molineux in the second leg.
But tonight’s visitors are proof, if it were needed, that Saints cannot afford to be overly complacent tonight against a team they have already beaten twice this season.
The MK Dons came close to losing out on a Wembley final after winning their southern final first leg at Swansea two years ago.
Paul Ince’s men won 1-0 in south Wales, only to lose the home second leg by the same score.
The Dons, though, kept their nerve to win a penalty shoot out 5-4.
Saints first reached Wembley in 1976 and, courtesy of their shock FA Cup final win over Manchester United, were invited back a few months later to contest the annual Charity Shield curtain raiser.
Lawrie McMenemy led Saints back to the Twin Towers three years later in the 1979 League Cup final and Ian Branfoot’s men reached the final of the Zenith Data Systems Cup in 1992.
Lambert knows full well the joy of reaching the tournament’s final.
He netted Bristol Rovers’ winning goal in their area final win over arch rivals Bristol City in 2006/07.
Rovers lost in the final, then played at Cardiff, 3-2 to Doncaster Rovers.
More Hampshire Sport stories
- Lumb has IPL debut to forget
- Wembley exodus
- Puncheon's tightrope act
- Former Saint plays part in stunning European comeback
- Hallett's horror after wonder goal
- Senior's focus returns to league
- Saints 'looked tired' says Pardew
- Fonte: We were nervous and anxious
- Loyal fans happy to put their shirts on Saints
- Ex-Saints takeover at Hull
Your Say YourHampshire
Ross96, Chandlers Ford says...
7:38am Tue 9 Feb 10
2nd???
south west saint, bodmin says...
7:39am Tue 9 Feb 10
Ross96, Chandlers Ford says...
7:39am Tue 9 Feb 10
Ross96, Chandlers Ford says...
7:40am Tue 9 Feb 10
Ross96 wrote:funny not funnt sorry
Funnt that rickie lambert is the front pic :)
Southampton boy, Southampton says...
7:48am Tue 9 Feb 10
Just look at Man U and Man C were Man U turned them over, I missed the FA cup due to my job not in the country at the time so I would love to see us make it with 0ver 27000 fans there it should be a great atmosphere.
Still think we are asking for too much to make the play off’s this season so this would be our final, it would be nice to beat P****** on Saturday but what would the side be as I have lost track of who is cup tied on each of these cups.
Still COME YOU REDS TAKE US HOME
freeroamer, Southampton says...
7:50am Tue 9 Feb 10
COYR!!!
freeroamer, Southampton says...
7:50am Tue 9 Feb 10
COYR!!!
ludachris, Waltham says...
7:54am Tue 9 Feb 10
Something has been lacking for a while now, Possible it could just be Hammond but something has gone.
Think the boys and the fans deserve a day out to Wembely after the last 24 months of rubbish.
All the best tonight and lets make it a party atmosphere
Mike_Saint, Soton says...
8:01am Tue 9 Feb 10
If we start with the right team,tactics and passion we will suceed but MK Dons look in good shape since they lost to us so hopefully we will be ok?
Team?
Davis
Thomas
Fonte
Perry
Harding
Antonio
Scheiderlin
Hammond / Wotton or James ?
Llanana
Papa Waigo
Lambert
PGA-, London says...
8:11am Tue 9 Feb 10
Optimist, Soton says...
8:20am Tue 9 Feb 10
COYS!
WestOxfordshire Saint, witney says...
8:26am Tue 9 Feb 10
worried of e sussex, says...
9:06am Tue 9 Feb 10
St. Curious Chimp, Totton says...
9:16am Tue 9 Feb 10
worried of e sussex wrote:hmmmmmm, football is a funny old game, as confident as i am, i still aint counting me chickens until the final whistle has blown ....... remember the Norwich game, we did'nt look like scoring all game then Waigo pops up with the equaliser in the last few seconds !!!! ...... COYR
do not know what everyone is worrying about? this is going to be a walk in the park, rub ince's nose right in it, never liked him!
Dickosfc, Lordswood says...
9:22am Tue 9 Feb 10
worried of e sussex wrote:Please don't tempt fait mate. They are a professional football team and should be shown the respect to match. If you haven't noticed we have been at our best lately. Although i'm confidant, all they have to do is score one goal and its back to square one. COYR
do not know what everyone is worrying about? this is going to be a walk in the park, rub ince's nose right in it, never liked him!
gosportsaint, East of the Promise land says...
9:22am Tue 9 Feb 10
Harley.79, Southampton says...
9:54am Tue 9 Feb 10
Paul Lucas, Totton says...
9:56am Tue 9 Feb 10
Northam - lead the choir tonight and don't stop the music! Chapel will chime in. Kingsland will be noisy too tonight.
10 changes apparently to MK Dons team but the fringe players might have something to prove?
COYRS!!!!!
worried of e sussex, says...
10:02am Tue 9 Feb 10
Harley.79 wrote:sounds like your after a free season ticket!
Looking forward to tonight, got a bit of a dilemma if we win and get to Wembley, the final is on the same day as our 2nd child is due, the old smoke is a long way to travel should she go in to labour! Can’t miss Saints at wembley though! COYR
happysaint, southampton says...
10:08am Tue 9 Feb 10
Harley.79, Southampton says...
10:13am Tue 9 Feb 10
worried of e sussex wrote:Would be nice, especially after all the money ive spent on watching the Saints in the past. Thought that was a nice thing for the club to do.
Harley.79 wrote: Looking forward to tonight, got a bit of a dilemma if we win and get to Wembley, the final is on the same day as our 2nd child is due, the old smoke is a long way to travel should she go in to labour! Can’t miss Saints at wembley though! COYRsounds like your after a free season ticket!
Jason D, Salisbury says...
10:19am Tue 9 Feb 10
Think it's all the talk of being on the brink and on the verge of being at Wembley.
Generally if you were 1-0 up at half time I'd say you're not really quite on the verge of victory. Not until 85 minutes and even then I'd be wary as a Saints fan.
Problem is that I do think quite a few people think it is just a case of us turning up tonight, though I'm sure the players and manager will try to ensure that complacency isn't there.
Fact is, to win this we have to start the game like it's a battle, not a run-out.
If we do that we'll be OK.
Any complacency though and we're finished. A lot of fans expecting a lot and atmosphere could change quickly.
I know how we reacted to Derby being cocky after the first play-off leg a few seasons back and to be fair we were unlucky not to win.
Come on you reds, let's battle hard for 90 minutes and be determined not to let this opportunity go.
MK Dons are a good team though – they'd be ahead of us even with the points deduction back, so this is not going to be easy. Just remember that.
Costa Baz, Southampton says...
10:49am Tue 9 Feb 10
Harley.79 wrote:Harley, can you book your missus into a London maternity ward, just in case? Be a bit closer to Wembley.
worried of e sussex wrote:Would be nice, especially after all the money ive spent on watching the Saints in the past. Thought that was a nice thing for the club to do.Harley.79 wrote: Looking forward to tonight, got a bit of a dilemma if we win and get to Wembley, the final is on the same day as our 2nd child is due, the old smoke is a long way to travel should she go in to labour! Can’t miss Saints at wembley though! COYRsounds like your after a free season ticket!
I'm working tonight and unfortunately Radio Cartagena does not cover English commentary.
May get home just in time to tune in for the last few minutes.
Did that for the Norwich tie. The first commentary I heard was Merrington saying we were just entering injury time and needing to equalise.
Hope I don't hear the same tonight.
Just want to hear 1000's of Saints fans singing Wemberly, Wemberley, we're the famous Southampton and we're going to Wemberly.
Saints4Eva, Fair Oak says...
11:16am Tue 9 Feb 10
Went to the 1st leg and in all honesty SAINTS should have been out of sight by half-time - but lets get the job over and done with in the first half - 3 goals at least and then let the fans party.
COYR's
miltonarchers, Winchester says...
1:21pm Tue 9 Feb 10
7saint7, southampton says...
1:25pm Tue 9 Feb 10
Rickie Lambert
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ludachris, Waltham says...
7:33am Tue 9 Feb 10