Southampton 3 Exeter City 1

In his programme notes, assessing his side’s progress so far, Pardew explained how one of his next targets was to be in League One’s top half by the end of January. But this Boxing Day victory over the ten-man Grecians, which was perhaps harder going than it should have been, saw Saints claim a top-half spot for the first time this season with a few days left of 2009.

Now they are among the league’s top dozen clubs the process of giving real thought to what impact Saints can make at the top end of the table will gather further momentum.

And everyone connected with Saints will have their sights trained firmly on what the other play-off contenders are doing, week by week, and how far away sixth place is.

As if to confirm that, Pardew spoke after this game of the potentially pivotal nature of Saints’ next three league games – at Colchester today, at home to Huddersfield and then at Millwall.

All three of those teams sit above Saints in the table.

And a trio of positive results could help them make significant inroads into the top half of League One in the coming weeks.

For now Pardew and his men can reflect on a job well done at the midway point of their league season.

They have worked themselves into a position where they have a real chance of achieving something in the second half of the campaign, which is all that could have been realistically hoped for having started the season ten points adrift of the rest.

While away from the bread and butter of the league they are also within touching distance of the bonus of a Wembley final in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

As the ever-level-headed Pardew rightly said, though, in his post-match analysis, all that represents is progress.

And while it would be safe to say, based on his programme notes, that Saints are currently ahead of schedule, only at the end of the season will it be seen just how much progress they have made.

Right now there is still plenty to be done to ensure the good work Saints have put in so far doesn’t go to waste.

In terms of reaching the play-offs, the stats suggest Saints will need an impressive run of form just to have a realistic chance of a top-six finish.

Fortunately Pardew’s side have found a general consistency - this was their ninth win in 13 games - that has been missing from Saints sides in recent years.

And that suggests that producing the form required to secure a play-off spot - which is likely to include a minimum of 13 more wins if history is anything to go by - is not beyond Saints.

They are also likely to have to win a few more games in the manner they did against former Saint Paul Tisdale’s Grecians to reach the top six.

Securing three points by winning ugly may do nothing for fans’ – or Pardew’s for that matter – nerves or fingernails.

But, much like the aforementioned consistency, recent Saints teams have also been unable to do that.

So this version’s ability to dig in and get a result from a game, as they have shown on more than one occasion this term, is admirable and, in some ways, refreshing – once the final whistle blows.

Another plus point for Pardew was seeing his side prove they have what it takes to handle the expectation, which will only increase if they continue to climb the table.

An expectant, sell-out crowd of more than 30,000, Saints’ biggest of the season, descended on St Mary’s on Saturday.

But unlike against Brighton last month, when Saints lost 3-1 in front of their previous highest crowd, who arrived hoping to see the win that hoisted them out of the drop-zone, they didn’t disappoint the majority inside the ground this time round.

They took a while to liven up against the Devon side though.

But when they did, and the first time they got their passing game going, it resulted in them taking the lead 14 minutes in.

Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert combined to play in Lloyd James down the right.

He advanced and, when Exeter failed to block his route to goal, he let fly with a low shot that took a deflection and skidded past Exeter’s wrong-footed keeper Paul Jones and into the net for the Welshman’s first senior goal.

Lifted by the opener Saints poured forward at every opportunity and for a while penned the overworked visitors back.

Saints came close to a second when David Connolly’s clever flick header from James’ inswinging cross looped onto the bar before Morgan Schneiderlin fired a long-range drive well over.

The second goal Saints were threatening arrived on the half-hour. This time James was the creator, whipping over a free kick which Neal Trotman headed home powerfully.

Bartosz Bialkowski had largely been a spectator in the Saints goal up to this point, but was alert to parry a deflected right-wing cross clear before saving Ryan Harley’s effort.

Then, just before the break, Exeter suffered a big blow to their hopes of getting back into the game when midfielder Troy Archibald-Henville received a straight red card after a high and late challenge on Schneiderlin.

Into the second half, Lambert tried his luck, to no avail, from a 30-yard free kick, Joseph Mills, who replaced the injured Lallana, shot high and wide before Lambert sliced a volley over.

But Saints couldn’t get a killer third and the visitors grew in confidence as the half wore on.

Though they weren’t exactly peppering Bialkowski’s goal, centre-backs Chris Perry and Trotman were increasingly busy while James and left-back Dan Harding were enjoying less attacking freedom.

Then Exeter’s hopes of nicking a result grew when captain Matthew Taylor rose at the far post to head Harley’s corner back across goal and into the net on 68 minutes.

For ten or so minutes Exeter’s tails were up as they sensed an unlikely point and Saints had to really dig in to defend their goal.

But Exeter couldn’t convert their late pressure into an equaliser.

And three minutes from time substitute Papa Waigo put the majority of the St Mary’s crowd at ease when he raced onto Lambert’s through ball and coolly slotted home the third to wrap up the victory for Saints.