A relegation six pointer on Boxing Day

Saints fans were in uproar as they trudged to the Dell on Boxing Day 1993, they were kept off the bottom only by goal difference and a week earlier they had lost at bottom club Swindon Town who were recording only their second win of the season, its fair to say that Saints manager Ian Branfoot was not the most popular man in Southampton at the time. to make matters worse another six pointer was upon us and incredibly it was against Chelsea only a point ahead and whose new manager Glenn Hoddle was not exactly setting the world alight at this point and was struggling to make the grade from managing Swindon the previous season to promotion to the top flight, to actually managing a big club.

Due to the turmoil surrounding the Club and disenchantment with Branfoot, indeed many supporters were refusing to watch the team whilst he was there only 14,221 were present, somewhat short of the 19 thousand capacity of the ground.

Saints lined up

Beasant

Dodd, Benali Wood, Adams

Widdrington, Reid, Allen, Maddison

Le Tissier, Dowie 

Used Sub Bennett

Saints fans knew that anything other than a win was likely to cast them adrift from safety, indeed if Chelsea won then they were guaranteed to be at least four points behind fourth from bottom, whatever happened elsewhere.

The newly formed Southampton Independent Supporters Association had urged fans to get behind the team, they were asking fans to reserve any protests for before or after the game and that during it they should back the team 100%, this was actually initially having a positive impact during the 90 minutes, but in December Saints had now lost all four games played so the mood was somewhat combustible and not full of Xmas cheer towards Branfoot.

But Saints got off to a great start on 12 minutes when Micky Adams crossed and Tommy Widdrington lashed home from close range, a vital goal in that it not only gave Saints the lead, but gave the crowd hope and they got behind the team and not on its back.

But just before the break Chelsea equalised through Stein, its fair to say at this half time the game hung in the balance.

The second half saw Saints start to take command and on 65 minutes Iain Dowie slid the ball home after a good run to the byeline from Paul Allen and a superb pull back that begged to be put in the net. Saints now had the bull by the horns and could see the win within their grasp, however there was a long way to go yet, but the crowd was behind the team and with Peter reid pulling the strings in the midfield there was no way they were going to let go of the game.

In the 88th minute the three points were secured when as Chelsea pushed forward , substitute frankie Bennett latched on to a through ball, out sprinted the helsea defence and crashed the ball home to make it 3-1, for once this season it wasnt Saints fans who were shouting abuse at their manager it was Chelsea and the question was now whether Hoddle's top flight career as a manager might be over before it had begun.

The League now looked a lot different, Saints were only one point off safety and had pulled Sheffield United within a point and Oldham and Man City within two, a draw at City a few days later looked a good point but Saints were still in the bottom three, Lawrie McMenemy was announced as returning to the Club as director of football and history shows us that the writing was already on the wall for Branfoot as the board had seen what the fans had and one of the most hated managers in Saints history was only one game from the sack, that game would come on New years day        

Photo: Action Images

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