SAINTS Reserves produced a blistering display to rip Tottenham to shreds and go some way towards making amends for the let-downs against Le Havre.

Matthew Le Tissier's return to form may have grabbed the headlines but this was a top-class team performance by many of the same players who had figured in last week's two French friendlies.

The weekend rocket had clearly done the trick as Dennis Rofe's men came out fired up and determined to put on a show for another large Dell crowd.

There was no hint of taking it easy even after racing four up by half-time, as sizzling Saints pressed home their advantage with three more quality strikes.

And it was significant that the seven goals all came from the most senior professionals in the side who all had special reasons to shine.

The crowd were desperately willing Le Tissier to bounce back to form and fitness, and he delighted them by curling home a trademark free-kick teed up for him on the D of the penalty area after 21 minutes.

It was his first goal from a free-kick in a competitive game since the final day of the 1997-98 season - also against Tottenham.

He got his second and Saints' fifth a minute after the break, clipping the ball back over Ian Walker from 22 yards after the goalkeeper had parried from Kevin Davies running clean through.

Davies put himself into contention for a first-team recall by making it 3-0 with a well taken left-foot shot after Walker had pushed out a Stuart Ripley drive on 25 minutes.

Ripley was in top form in front of a posse of scouts which included Millwall boss Mark McGhee and Martin Allen of Reading.

Despite his unfamiliar role on the left of a midfield trio, he was at the heart of most Saints moves and began the rout on 14 minutes with a sweet hooked volley from 10 yards latching on to a cross by Davies on the right.

He added the fourth four minutes before the break sweeping home Chris Baird's flick from another Davies cross.

And Uwe Rosler maintained his recent surge in form and spirits with a double in the second half.

The first on 52 minutes saw him chest down Le Tissier's piercing through-ball to drill home and the second on 71 minutes was a bullet diving header from a Baird cross.

Every one of the goals had quality stamped across it even though Walker looked less than enthusiastic in the Spurs' goal.

Considering the former England 'keeper has been persistently rumoured to be on his way to The Dell, this spiritless showing will have done his chances no good at all.

The goalscorers were backed up by lively displays from the younger players, most notably Baird who was outstanding at right-back and richly deserved his standing ovation when he was substituted.

Most pleasing of all for coach Dennis Rofe was that the intensity never dropped even when the game was won in a strong team effort.

Le Tissier, whose delivery remains as accurate as ever, was clearly struggling for fitness late on and was forced to drop deeper to find space.

But by then, he had done enough to give the fans renewed hope that their hero may yet have a part to play in the Premiership this season.