Saints record historic win

Marian Pahars (right) heads Southampton's winner

Southampton 1-0 Charlton

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Latvian striker Marian Pahars gave Southampton their first win at St Mary's and their first under new manager Gordon Strachan.

His goal also lifted the Saints off the bottom of the Premiership table.

A record crowd of 31,198 congregated at St Mary's hoping to see Southampton break their duck there at the sixth attempt.

During the week Strachan even had his players training at St Mary's - where they have picked up one point from 15 - in an attempt to get them used to it.

Impact

That certainly seemed to make an impact in the opening stages as the Saints constantly tested Charlton goalkeeper Dean Kiely.

In particular striker James Beattie had no less than four goalscoring opportunities in the first half alone.

Twice Kiely dived full-length to deny Beattie, and on another occasion the Saints frontman saw his shot saved easily when he should have done much better.

Beattie also lashed an effort well wide after defender Mark Fish played him in by making a mess of his attempted header to his own keeper.

To play the sort of football we played today was surprising, and it shouldn't be like that when you're bottom of the league

Gordon Strachan

Southampton - who dominated the first half without finding a way past Kiely - also saw Anders Svensson come close after 42 minutes.

Meanwhile Charlton - missing in-form striker Jason Euell - had their best opportunity when midfielder Claus Jensen's shot was deflected wide.

At the start of the second half Southampton resumed the pressure as Svensson fired a decent opportunity over the bar.

Referee Dermot Gallagher - on his first game back in the Premiership following a relegation to the Nationwide League - found himself in the spotlight soon after the break.

Kiely made a string of saves

Saints frontman Pahars tumbled over the challenge of Fish and there were loud shouts around the new stadium for a penalty.

But Gallagher waved away the appeals and thereby ensured that the stalemate prevailed - but not for long.

Saints took the lead as Chris Marsden broke up a Charlton attack and found Parhars who in turn spread a pass out to his strike partner Beattie.

Beattie kept it in and beat Paul Konchesky to get to the by-line before whipping over a perfect cross.

Southampton deserved all three points - and if there had been six on offer, they'd have got six as well

Alan Curbishley

Pahars met the cross with a firm header from five yards out which flew into Kiely's top corner.

Southampton had the ball in the net again soon after only for Gallagher to rule out the strike from Marsden.

Beattie and Fish went up together to meet Matthew Oakley's long throw-in and when the ball bounced down Marsden lashed it into the net.

But the referee ruled that Beattie had fouled Fish and the effort was disallowed.

Stunning save

Still the Saints dominated without finishing Charlton off as Pahars wrapped a left-foot curler just over the bar.

Then Kiely made a stunning save to keep out Oakley's goalbound shot and from the resultant corner Oakley had another effort blocked by Fish.

Their inability to kill the game off made for a tense conclusion to the game - not to mention when Steve Brown thumped a 25-yard shot against the post late on.

But Strachan's side held firm for a win their supporters had waited a long time to see.

Southampton: Jones, Dodd, Bridge, Lundekvam, Williams, Telfer, Oakley, Svensson, Marsden, Beattie, Pahars. Subs: Moss, Delap, Tessem, Davies, Benali.

Charlton: Kiely, Young, Fish, Brown, Powell, Stuart, Kinsella, Jensen, Konchesky, Bartlett, Johansson. Subs: Ilic, Robinson, Parker, Fortune, MacDonald.

Referee: D Gallagher (Oxfordshire).