Cup performance pleases Pardew (From Daily Echo)

Cup performance pleases Pardew

7:50am Monday 30th November 2009

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(117)

Alan Pardew felt Saints were reasonably comfortable winners despite the 3-2 scoreline in their FA Cup second round clash at Northampton.

The result sounds like Saints, who were backed by almost half of the total attendance of 4,800, scraped through.

But that was far from the truth.

A penalty with the last kick of the game made it sound closer than it was, although a very hard working Northampton did worry Saints at times in the first half.

But once Saints had ridden that storm and got themselves 2-0 up by half time, there was only ever one winner.

Saints’ fourth cup victory over the Cobblers in the last six seasons was never in any real doubt after that.

Pardew, whose first win as Saints boss was a 2-0 St Mary’s win in the League Cup against Northampton back in August said: “They had a real threat from long throws.

“They kept bombing it in our box and we defended them great.

“Unfortunately we conceded a goal which was a goal we should have prevented, but by then really the game was over if I’m honest at 3-1.

“I thought we’d see the game out and that would be it but a ball came in the box, a hand was stuck out and they got a penalty which flattered the scoreline a little bit. It was a 3-1 game.

“We kept delivering it into areas and in the system we played you need people to get in the box and two midfield players scoring was good.

“Forget about the scoreline, the most important thing in the Cup is getting through.

“There’s no replay, we did it in one hit and away from home – we’d take that against anyone.”

Pardew, a beaten FA Cup finalist as a player in 1990 and as a manager in 2006, added: “We had a good attitude to the game.

“It was a game that was dangerous for us because Northampton at home were going to give it a real blast and first half we did the job.

“Second half there were a couple of little incidents we could have done a little bit better with in an attacking way with the formation, but generally I was pleased with the team.

“We were committed and the fans would have gone home happy.”

For full story and more Saints news, don't miss today's Daily Echo.

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(117)