Sadly Saints did what they have done so many times this season, blotted their copybook by conceding a poorly defended goal.

If ever a game emphasised what i have been saying all season it was this one, even in the build up to the match I spoke of the need to keep a clean sheet and not to have any lapses in concentration that could cost us dearly, so what do we go and do, we do exactly that.

My gripe all season hasnt been about the defending in general its been about the way we can defend well for large percentages of games then throw away points in one moment of poor play or individual lapse of concentration that sees the other 89 minutes all go to waste, of course we cant win every game and stop every goal, but even Nigel Adkins himself has admitted that it seems that we concede very few good goals from the opposition and too many soft ones, off the top of my head on top of last night there was Pompey's equaliser, Doncasters winner, at least two of the goals at Leicester, both goals at Cardiff, thats just the tip of the iceberg and in those five games there is anything between six and ten points thrown away and that is far too many games to have defensive errors in.

Im sure some people will come back on me at this and tell me to look at the goal difference column and how many we have conceded, yes we havent conceded that many when put against most of the teams in this division, but its not just about how many you concede its about being tight in the right areas at the right time, keeping it tight when the scores are tight, too many of our clean sheets have been when the scoreline hasnt been close ie in the 3-0 win at Watford, not enough of them have been in games like last night, when we have scored only once and need to see the game out.

To be fair to Ipswich although they had been lively for most of the game, we had coped well and barring one great save from Kelvin Davis they hadnt troubled the keeper too much as we came into the last five minutes, indeed they had had only had two chances on target at that point. A hopeful punt up field looked simple for Hooiveld to deal with but Jason Scotland didnt give it up and got to the ball first, at this point there looked to be no danger whatsover the Ipswich man was hemmed in near the touchline in the corner, all we had to do was hold him up, how we allowed him not just to turn, but to cut across the edge of the penalty area with three defenders not getting anywhere near him to close him down and get in a shot is appalling, end result a goal, two points dropped and psycological advantage to Reading.

The goal apart Saints didnt play too badly and created a host of chances that they should have done better with at times, Nigel Adkins played tinkerman again which as i have said above at times worked and we created chances, but at other times we looked disjointed and struggling to get width, the crtical moment came when Adkins brought on De Ridder, this is the type of situation De Ridder should be used in, before the Town defence had got used to his pace, he beat his man and got in a decisive cross for Lambert's goal on 74 minutes, in truth De Ridder did little else of note afterwards, but at this point it looked as if we had got the breakthrough, but then it went wrong, taking off Lallana was a mistake, in that although he needed a rest as he had worked hard, we had no natural replacement on the bench with Cork certainly no left midfield player, its no coincidence that the goal came from this area, add a player out of position to a left back who was not having the best of games and you are inviting trouble and Ipswich accepted the invitation.

This report might be doom and gloom, but i do feel it reflects the mood of the supporters afterwards, everyone i spoke to said it felt like a defeat, there will be those that have a go at me telling me I am wrong and what a tight defence Saints have got, but again I reiterate, its no use being tight in a game that you win 3-0, you have to do it in games last night when it counts, the run in will be about who can hold their nerve, it will be about keeping clean sheets and waiting for our opportunities to come and taking them, think Bristol Rovers at home last April for instance, last night we should have done the same, but our defensive frailties were once again exposed, one lapse of concentration costs us two points and this is far from the first time it has happened, unless we do something and to be blunt playing the same players will only have the same results, I fear Reading who are doing exactly what i have just advocated, will be the team that keeps it tight and does to us what we did to uddersfield last year.

Photo: Action Images

Jesus_02 added 10:00 - Mar 7 A slip by morgan, a diflected shot, sometimes its best just to chalk it off as bad luck and move on.
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saintstowin added 10:01 - Mar 7 bypassing the usual tone of the report, at this late stage of the season i look at this result in the context of what's been happening recently. our longest unbeaten run, two excellent away wins and hardly any goals let in. a penalty and a deflection is about it in the last month i think? beat barnsley - which we will convincingly - and we are back on track. also a nice win for millwall pulls them clear just in time for saturday week. we can't legislate for reading's run of form apart from when we play them. obviously i'd love them to lose sooner rather than later and it will happen, winning games by odd goals shows me they aren't invincible. no one is. it's in our hands and as the games tick by that's a great position to be in.

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Jesus_02 added 10:02 - Mar 7 Now for the negative.....Billy Sharp. The end of the game called out for someone to keephold of the ball up front. I was calling for Sharp to replace Chung, it seemed the most logical thing to do. Chung was excellent but seemed to have just too much energy for the rest of the team and was always looking to do something possitive when we needed to slow the game down and take control. Billy couldnt get hold of it

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geezershoong added 10:07 - Mar 7 Not sure it felt like a defeat to me, as Nigel Adkins pointed out on the wireless, if you allow someone like Jason Scotland to cut in from wide & have a go, it might go in. It did take a nasty deflection & KD made a great point blank save from a header. If we had drawn at Leeds last weekend & beat Ipswich last night I'm confident most of us would have seen this as a good return against these two sides & we'd be in the same position. It's vital *we all* get behind the team at this stage in the season in the final push.

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Fordy added 10:10 - Mar 7 You can look at it both ways. If Lallana was left on and got injured, people would have asked why he hadn't been taken off. However, I'm surprised Punch and/or Chaplow weren't on the bench, as both would have been more natural to bring on than Cork. The 5 subs rule hasn't been great for us this year. Let's hope we're back to 7 next year! I like Chung and I think he deserves to keep his place for Barnsley. It is a shame that a lot of his runs go unnoticed from the midfield. I think Cork might be better at finding him than Hammond and I expect him to be back in on Saturday.

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stmichael added 10:10 - Mar 7 Jos was badly at fault for the goal. We gave the ball away endlessly. Adam needs to learn when to play the simple pass. Lee has done well but I worry about his END product. Fraser was poor but to be fair GULY in front of him was comlete GASH until he realised he was about to be subbed and miraculoulsy ran about for 10 minutes. It was not good and to be blunt to get 4 points from the last 2 games is a miracle considering the performances. Ipswich deserved their point.

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Scummer added 10:26 - Mar 7 I think that it's important to not get too excited by the good results, and too despondent about the disappointing ones. We are unbeaten in eight games. Our defence has tightened up considerably, even given last night's error. We are looking for a 2 points per game average and have taken 10 from the last possible 12 and hope to make that 13 from 15 on Saturday. If Pompey do go under (and I hope they don't, as someone who a) enjoys the rivalry and b) remembers the misery of the period before Marcus saved us), then we only lose one point whilst both West Ham and Reading will be hit far harder. You would have to appreciate the irony of that situation! All in all, February and March have been kinder to the Saints than December and January.

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splurty added 10:27 - Mar 7 It happens ,on another day Guly/Adam would have put those away in the first half and it probably would have turned into a big win but as on sat for Leeds it does not always go your way ,for god sake stop all the negativity and get behind the team/Nigel/Nicola ,onwards to a win on saturday and the prem COYR
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hortonsaint added 10:55 - Mar 7 Agree with one of the comments above, we're at a stage now where games are coming thick of fast and we need to move on. The defence has been improved but agree that lapses still cost us and I think Hooiveld has to take a big share of the blame for allowing Scotland to get into a shooting position when he was initially in a postion of little danger. Saying that, yes Reading are basing their success on clean sheets and keeping things tight but they too are going to drop points somewhere along the line and there will be plenty of twists and turns along the way. Not a time for over analysis now but rather getting behind the team and I felt the crowd was far too quiet last night for a team who are top of their league. Do we only get excited for Pompey or a big name?

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Stephen added 11:10 - Mar 7 Chaplow was not in the side. He is our talisman for a high energy game. Bad news regarding the goal. I'm more concerned at the poor interviewer on BBC Radio Solent who couldn't stop trying to get into feelings rather than discuss the game. Why didn't he ask where Chaplow was. I want to know. Let's take the positives. You know what they are. In Adkins We Trust.
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Whatsforpud added 11:23 - Mar 7 Although conceding a late goal is extremely disappointing, when you look back at the game as a whole, we should have taken some of the chances we created especially in the first half. We could well have been 3 up at half time which would have allowed for the odd slip/deflection at the other end. Lee and Lambert seems to be a good combination. Lambert won everything in the air, and Lee, full of high-octane energy, was looking for his knock-downs and touches all the time. I am a little worried that Sharp doesn't look too sharp, and in comparison to Lee, appears a little pedestrian. As has been mentioned, a draw at Leeds and a win last night would have seemed a satisfactory accumulation of points. Funny how the other way round seems different.

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saintBob added 12:29 - Mar 7 Agree with Whatsforpud. I don't feel we have too much to complain about after the way in which we robbed Leeds but last night we should have easily been at least 2-0 up at halftime as we had 3 attacks and a couple of corners in the first 4 minutes. No probs with the team selection although I don't think Guly has been as good in this half of the season. Richardson didn't seem to get forward as much as he has been doing and in the first half everything was coming down the left hand side. The passing is nowhere near as good as it was at the start of the season either and I'm beginning to get the feeling that our final games which look quite tough on paper, will see us drop into the playoffs. Please Saints prove me wrong!

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Olley added 12:29 - Mar 7 Of course people are always disappointed if you concede with 8 mins of normal time to play but as mentioned above, the 3 points at Leeds was very fortunate & a point against a team on a great run, is still progress to our goal of promotion. We need to concentrate on the fact, we are on an unbeaten run, we still have the promotion [top 2] in our hands, as with our goal difference Reading would still be below us even if they win there game in hand. I felt that we played significantly better than against Leeds, therefore this is the positive & just need to focus on the next game & 3 points. Guly should have scored & to be honest most likely Lallana but the latter for me had a good game. I expect Chappers & Cork in the starting line up on Sat, as NA keeps his rotation for the 2 games a week schedule. All in all this has been a great season & we should just get right behind the team COYRS

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icehorsestud added 12:59 - Mar 7 Dissappointed with the result as we should have been 2-0 up at half-time and have the game wrapped up. We were the better side and there were positives. Lambert and Lee worked together well and look to be a great striking partnership. Billy Sharp has so far shown nothing. He must have some ability or else he would not have a good goal scoring record. He will need to learn soon that he has to work harder and not just stand around the box waiting for the perfect cross. The selection mystery was playing Guly down the right midfield/wing again. He cannot play there, he wants to be in the middle, so we gave away that side of the park. This, in turn put too much reliance on Lallana on the other side. Adam is so talented but can someone please get him to understand that the simple ball is often the best - not twisting and turning to beat the same man 3 times. Second half Guly was sitting just in front of the defence and was totally useless. So, good substitution, but De Ridder or Chaplow should have been there from the start. Taking Adam off was probably right at the time, as he was tiring, but Conolly would have been a better choice. Great save from Kelvin in the first half. Overall, we were comfortable at 1-0 and 5 minutes to go. Bad mistake by Jos, but to be fair that was his only one. The real problem was standing off Scotland afterwards, giving him too much room. 4 points from two games is okay..need to win on saturday though.

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bstokesaint added 13:04 - Mar 7 I'm gutted too, but we can't afford to dwell on ifs and buts at this point of the season. You'd have to assume that West Ham and Reading will win their games in hand and it'll be a 3 horse race for the top 2 spots. We have a 6 pointer with Reading and they have one with West Ham. We have both of them on goal difference and have an easier run-in than Reading. There seems little point in singling out individual players, such as Jos (who by and large have all been excellent this season) or NA decisions when we know if we match or better another team's performance over 11 games we will get the promotion we are getting ever closer to. We conceded a sloppy goal last night, but other teams will too before the season is out. The important thing to remember is that our fate is still well and truly in our own hands. Let's put last night behind us, let the coaching staff work on the players and just get behind the boys on Saturday.

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simmo400 added 13:06 - Mar 7 Our main fault is out inability to keep posession of the ball. Time and time again we were pressured into just kicking it anywhere and to mainly the opposition. Can any one tell me why Ipswichs midfield could pass the pass about so easily betweeen themselves and yet when we had it Ipswich seemed to have 13 players pressing us all over the pitch.Same happened at Leeds also. Is it because were lazy ? Is it lack of position ? Is it because were not good enough ? We did make the chances to kill the game 1st half but we didnt make them count. We got out of gaol with RL again but a poor defensive lapse again cost us, but to be honest it always looked on the cards. All is still to play for but we need to address our midfield sharpish or I think we will be sunk by it.

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bstokesaint added 13:22 - Mar 7 Scummer, I don't think Pompey will go under, although frankly I'm not bothered either way, part of me would miss the rivalry, but another part of me thinks they get what they deserve for effectively buying their way to the Premier League and an FA Cup. Anyway if they did capitulate the table could effectively favour Reading:- 1. Saints 65pts from 34 games 2. Reading 60pts from 32 games 3. West Ham 58pts from 31 games Like I say I think it's unlikely, but it's an interesting scenario. Although both rivals would have a chance to go above us, you wouldn't expect all 5 games in hand to end up in victories for them. For now I'm satisfied we can beat at least one of them with Pompey and let's face it every time we've needed the fishy bunch to do us a favour they've failed miserably.

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itchensaint added 20:11 - Mar 7 I don't think we should all worry too much, especially as we were in some ways lucky to get 3 points against leeds, so 4 points for the two games is in my view satisfactory. Also I don't see the point worrying about West Ham, if we finish top, great, but second would still be a superb achievement. We all remember being promoted last season, not being disappointed at finishing second. Reading are also more of a threat because of their form and proximity to us in the table. But, look at Reading's run in; games against Saints, WH, Brighton, Leeds, Birmingham, Leicester. They could lose or draw any of them. So no need for panic stations yet!

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tiptop added 20:56 - Mar 7 I feel the underlying concern is a Nick pointed out at the end of the report is Reading doing to us as we did to Huddersfield. Spinning together 7 wins on the trot is impressive and will give them huge belief and the initiative for the moment is theirs. We need to maintain our own run and re-affirm our own belief with wins. Last night was a perfect time to do it and as reasonable as it is to say a draw at Leeds and a win against Ipswich would be acceptable the fact is we need to win the next game..Its a psychological game more than ever now. I was happy to see de Ridder back and provide a couple of moments of width and quality along with his pace... Expect Chaplow will be back sat along with cork who as Fordy says might be better at picking out Chung who is getting better with each game. Bottom line is as Nick has controversially insisted for a long time is next game is as close to a must win game as we can get. No getting away from it. We can def do it! We will do it..this is the time. It was never going to be gifted. Now lets beat Barnsley.COYR's!!!

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saintBob added 10:00 - Mar 8 Hands up who thought WHU would be top of the table this morning?
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ExiledSupporter added 13:54 - Mar 8 The point about being lucky at Leeds (and perhaps at West Ham too since we played against 10 players for most of the match) is that the luck has to be exploited by not wasting it the very next match when we should have won. As Nick has said all season we need to capitalise on opportunities when the luck is with us, not relax and end up looking a touch complacent. On Saturday I felt that we had proved that we had the character to grind out a result in very difficult circumstances, on Tuesday evening all my old doubts about Saints resillience in tough situations returned. We have to match Reading's determination (I am sure we have more talent than they have) or we will regret it

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bstokesaint added 13:59 - Mar 8 Bob I'm amazed West Ham aren't top. I know there have been some funny results this season, but Watford at home.. that should be 3 points. West Ham aren't infallible. A couple of teams have found them out. Wish Reading would get found out. Mind you with their run it's possible.
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saintBob added 20:31 - Mar 8 bstokesaint; yes I'm amazed as well but West Ham have dropped 19 points at home this season and have won more away. It seems they are very nervy in front of their own crowd who seem to get on their backs quite early on in the game when things aren't going to plan. They've really got some tough games remaining at home as well. Reading's run has to end sometime - hopefully this season! COYR!

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