National
Saints boss reveals relief at escaping relegation
Southampton 3 Sheffield United 2
SOUTHAMPTON manager Nigel Pearson
was the calmest man inside St
Mary's after his side completed a dramatic
final-day escape from relegation
from the Championship.
Stern John cracked a second-half
double to add to Marek Saganowski's
header as Saints came from behind to
beat Sheffield United 3-2 and avoid the
drop to League One.
The final whistle sparked bedlam
with a mass pitch invasion greeting
the news that Leicester had only managed
a draw at Stoke, allowing Saints
to leapfrog them out of the bottom
three. But afterwards Pearson said:
Relief is the overwhelming feeling at
this time.
At a number of points it looked like
we were going to come out on the
wrong side, so obviously I'm delighted.
I didn't know the other scores -
some of my staff did but I just wanted
to focus on the game. We were up
against a side in form and it was never
going to be easy.''
Southampton were staring down the
barrel of third division football for the
first time in 48 years when Stephen
Quinn nodded the Blades ahead.
Richard Wright denied the visitors
what could have been a killer second
when he kept out Matt Kilgallon's
point-blank header, and moments
later Saganowski scored at the far post
to send the teams in level at the break.
John fired Saints ahead at the start
of nerve-shredding second half before
United substitute Jon Stead looked to
have consigned the hosts to the drop
once more when he stabbed home.
But John's 19th goal of the season
means St Mary's will once again be
hosting Charlton, rather than Cheltenham,
next term.
The striker's afternoon ended prematurely
when he was sent off for a
second yellow card ten minutes from
time, but the ten men held out.
The win was only Pearson's third
since he took over in February, but the
man who was in charge of Carlisle
when goalkeeper Jimmy Glass scored
a last-gasp winner to save them from
dropping out of the league can add another
great escape to his CV.
Whether Pearson will still be in
charge next term remains to be seen,
with former chairman Rupert Lowe
poised to take over the club again.
There are issues which need to be
resolved but I'm not in a position to
share that information,'' he added.
9:43am Monday 5th May 2008
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