The third win in a row makes the league table look a whole lot rosier this morning as Saints pull away from relegation.

Saints didnt seem to get out of first gear at Reading on Saturday lunchtime, yet still had more than enough to despatch Nigel Adkins and his new charges although there were a few sticky moments in the first half as Reading huffed and puffed and tried to take the game to Saints.

But apart from a shot that Le Fondre blazed over when he really should have scored, a free header that went over and another that produced a superb save from Artur Boruc all of which happened in the first portion of the game, once Saints got in their stride there was only going to be one winner as we outpassed Reading and once we took the lead ten minutes before the break there was only going to be one winner.

The first goal was again another well worked goal with Rodriguez at the centre of the start and finish, he laid off the ball to Rickie Lambert and then chased down a return pass that from the visitors section looked a lost cause, but J Rod got their just before Federici in the Reading goal to poke it past him and open the scoring, again Rodriguez showed that he has a lot in his locker including pace.

After the break Reading came out with purpose but in the main Saints held firm and once they got the ball down kept it and made the home side chase shadows, for me Steve Davis was instrumental in this, he seemed to be everywhere, winning the ball in one part of the pitch and then three passes later receiving the ball again in the move, flair players get the plaudits, but Davis's contribution recently shouldnt be overlooked, he does what is needed in a high tempo pressing game, he moves the ball on quickly and accurately.

Sadly our weak link was Gaston Ramirez, there is no doubt that he is a great player, but he doesnt seem suited to Saints style, this was a game that he should have taken by the scruff of the neck, truth is he didnt and when he was replaced by Adam Lallana just after the hour, Saints seemed a lot better for it as Lallana showed an enthusiasm for the game that the Uruguayan seemed not to possess and it was no surprise that the creator was Rodriguez and Lallana the finisher to score the second and kill off the game.

From then on it was only a question of how many, but although Saints came close on several occasions, they did what a side that is two goals up should do and what in the past we have often failed to and thats keep possession and run down the clock.

Only real scare late on was a Le Fondre header that Boruc back pedalling almost carried over his own line, but the linesman got it spot on as TV replays showed that it was close but the whole ball didnt cross the line. The warning signs should be there that we need to deal with the central defensive situation next season, yes both played well for most of the game, but the lapses were still there and what was a great performance generally all round could have been ruined by those lapses. 

Reading fans themselves seemed resigned to the drop, the atmosphere in the home sections was muted and although the official attendance was given as 24,108, only 76 less than the stadiums record attendance set earlier this season for the visit of Everton, there were clearly a lot less in the ground, the opposite end to us looked to have around 700-1000 empty seats and there were big pockets of empty seats in all of the home areas.

But Saints are playing well and can now start to look upwards rather than down, if Sunderland or Wigan fail to win today, we should always be cautious till we hit that 40 point mark, but this was another big step towards safety and if we can keep playing with this confidence then 12th spot should be within our capabilities and with the right results elsewhere you never know we could sneak a place or two higher.      

Photo: Action Images

slynch added 10:47 - Apr 7 Hey StNick! You gonna relax now? Maybe soak up some rays, man; have a beer; enjoy the rest of the season, watching Saints cruise into the top 8?
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bendybob added 10:49 - Apr 7 A nice calming summary Nick!
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SanMarco added 10:58 - Apr 7 Someone will point out soon that their goalkeeper didn't blaze over in the first half but other than that a good summary and unfortunately we actually want Arry to win this afternoon. If Sunderland lose as well then we really are nearly there....
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saint22 added 11:36 - Apr 7 Hey Nick see my post from yesterday re Ramirez, and his innate effort and ability to influence games he should be able too "Sadly our weak link was Gaston Ramirez, there is no doubt that he is a great player, but he doesnt seem suited to Saints style, this was a game that he should have taken by the scruff of the neck" are you plagiarising? ;)
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landsdownsaint added 11:56 - Apr 7 It's a shame about Gaston,he really is a class player but he's not happy about something,I thought we played superb yesterday,I haven't seen football like this since the days of Keegan and co...I really wanted Guly to convert that chance late on ,he's a man that needs a break ,it was good to hear the crowd chant his name as well!
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SaintNick added 12:31 - Apr 7 Saint 22 great minds think alike eh lol
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schatfield added 13:53 - Apr 7 pretty bad game to be honest, and u are right, Saints never got out of 1st gear, Le Fondre could have had a hat trick against us with some better finishing, but it doesnt matter cos we won and got the 3 points. Great to see Guly come on and really wanted that shot near the end where he blazed over converted. He needs a goal badly. Shame about Ramirez. Doesnt seem suited/happy. If all reports are true and arsenal want him, wouldnt be bad to get our money back on him.

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sidsaint added 19:21 - Apr 7 Good win against a poor Reading team. Agree Ramirez was a disappointment and would not be surprised if he returned to Italy as has been suggested in the press, Lallana's goal was class. J Rod has come into his own under MP. Also would have liked to have seen Guly score to improve his confidence. Defence was awful leading up to the Le Fondre miss bringing back memories of the beginning of the season, it will have to be strengthened and I have confidence MP will get in the right defenders during the summer. It will be interesting to see how we tackle big Sam's kick and rush next week and the aerial threat of Andy Carroll.

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saintwiz added 21:23 - Apr 7 Nick, did I see you in the pub on Reading station after the match with a tall, short haired chap and a good looking hunk?
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SaintNick added 08:31 - Apr 8 No I think the alcohol you had consumed meant that you were seeing triple, I was on my own but match all those descriptions
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scummerlou added 09:33 - Apr 8 Good match report Nick, and a good performance from the Saints...winning without really getting into top gear, is that not the sign of a good team?? Once again, Steve Davis put in a quality shift and but MoM has to be J-Rod, he seems to have a bit more licence to link up with SRL than early in the season when he was stuck out on the left wing, and this is creating a very good partnership. Concentrate on one game at a time, to get mathematically safe, so a good win vs Big Sam and his Hoofers will go down a treat... COYRs

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simmo400 added 13:04 - Apr 8 This game summned up NA perfertly. They needed the win but left the biggest centre forward on the bench. Nigels subs were always bad and he hasnt changed my mind. Inept NA but ggod luck next year in the championship.
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Whatsforpud added 15:39 - Apr 8 Agree about the attendance. Can a club publish any figure it likes? Surely the Premier League or the FA rely on accurate data for their records. No more than 22k there. Good interlinking play between Lambert and Rodriguez, and sometimes between them and Ramirez. On the latter, have to question some of his decisions on shooting. Once from too far out - wasted possession, and one with poor contact, with arguably using the wrong foot.

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