Saints put in their best performance of the season against Peterborough.
Saints roared to a 4-1 home win against the Posh and it could have and should have been more against a side who to their credit never stopped trying to pull one back right to the final whistle.
Saints started brightly as they did against Carlisle and had several attempts to open the scoring thwarted, one a point blank save from Lallana by Joe Lewis, but for one minute it looked like the pattern of the previous week would be repeated as Saints got caught on the break, Fonte being found wanting and allowing his man to get one on one with Davis, the keeper however is at his best in these situations and made a great save, it was a warning shot and Saints heeded it and went ahead on 27 minutes, Barnard showing why he should be the number one striker collecting a ball on the run and firing home a bullet shot from the edge of the area.
At half time the game was poised with the worry that Peterborough have the firepower to throw a few surprises in our direction but within five minutes of the re start the game was effectively won, first Dickson got forward and put in a cross that needed to be defended, but Fonte rose and headed home followed by a great move in which Hammon got down our right side (the official site says left ) and crossed for Richard Chaplow to ghost in and fire home, the visitors were shocked and stunned.
With a quarter of an hour to go Posh pulled one back when Mcclean lost Fonte to fire home, but if Saints fans were worried then they neednt have been as the game sudenly became the Lee Holmes show as the substitute put in a great free kick for Guly to head home and then followed that up with a sublime threw ball to Guly again who put it just past the post, at the final whistle the supporters reflected on a game that if it had ended 7-1 the peterborough fans could have had little complaint.
So where did it go right ? well the team selection was for perhaps the first time in Nigel Adkins reign right from the beginning, of course i have long championed Dickson replacing Harding and finally that happened and i was vindicated by a solid performance from a full back that can not only defend but get forward as well, but Dickson showed its not just about getting forward but delivering and he did so on several occasions not least in crossing for Fonte to score, the key to the game was two strong full backs who could win the ball get it down and play and we now have that, the only real blip in the back four on Saturday was Fonte who although he scored did not have one of his better games by his own standards, however a 7/10 performance in my opinion shows how high those standards are.
In midfield we are finally creating and scoring goals, OXO will of course get the plaudits in that he frightens the opposition and can cross a ball, however the cameo appearance from Lee Holmes again showed that if he can stay fin he is a player who can play a big part, in 20 minutes he did more for the team on the right than Jason Puncheon did in nearly 20 games this season.
I felt it was the first time that the manager has really imposed himself on the squad this season, of course i feel that he is perhaps 4 or 5 games later than he should have been with this, but better late than never and Saints looked like a team that could win the league rather than one that should be in the play offs,, they looked solid at the back, good going forward and sharp up front with perhaps the main difference being that we are no longer one dimensional.
The big test is now coming on Tuesday, I feel though that this starting line up can beat any in the league and that no other side can post the firepower off the bench of Guly, Holmes and Connolly, not to mention Schneiderlin & Butterfield both of whom would walk into most Championship sides.
On Saturday several players showed that the missing links have been at the club all the time, their way blocked by journeyman players, now that they have been replaced, perhaps the way is open for a few more at the club to break through including Joseph Mills and Oscar Gobern.