END OF SEASON matches - they're soooooooo boring! Perhaps somebody should have mentioned that to Saints and Newcastle last night - I'd like a few more start-of-season and middle-of-season games like that one.

It was a cracker, an absolute belter to end Newcastle's Champions League ambitions.

My goodness, what a match. It's hard to remember a game that good for a long time - anywhere.

The word caution was only used in the caution-to-the-wind sense.

It was just incredible. It's lucky it was on Sky as many people will have seen it because there's not enough space in the entire paper to describe every moment of action in the game.

This was a match where there were more shots than fouls!

Both sides deserve great credit. It might have had defensive coaches waking up in the night in a cold sweat but, for anybody who watched on TV or was lucky enough to be at St Mary's, it was an exhilarating, thrilling, absorbing reminder of why football is so great.

From the first minute to the last there was incident and chances and open, attacking football, with both sides going for it.

It took just seven minutes for the first goal to come and that set the scene for the match.

Olivier Bernard's long ball was headed up by Shola Ameobi who out-muscled Claus Lundekvam and got away with what looked a blatant handball before firing into the bottom corner. Debutant keeper Alan Blayney must have been fearing the worst.

After a few chances had somehow been scrambled clear from both areas, Saints were back on level terms on 19 minutes.

Fabrice Fernandes delivered a teasing ball from the right wing - and it went all the way to the exceptional Anders Svensson at the far post.

Surrounded by defenders, a deft turn of skill saw him create a yard to get in a shot which Shay Given got down to but just palmed in front of him, allowing Beattie to tap home from two yards.

Gary Speed, Ameobi and Yoann Folly all had openings while James Beattie had a good shout for a penalty waved away when Steve Caldwell appeared to shove him in the back.

With 35 minutes gone Newcastle regained their lead. The Magpies had a throw-in on the left wing as Saints were trying to make a substitution to replace the injured Lundekvam with Darren Kenton.

But the Saints sub was taking a long time to get ready and didn't have his shirt on when the throw was taken so play continued.

Ameobi got past Lundekvam, who had no chance of getting back, and pulled the ball back to Lee Bowyer, who calmly swept home a first-time left-footed shot.

But that lead lasted only four minutes.

Fernandes was given too much time and space to deliver a cross from the right and, after the ball got through one defender, Titus Bramble stuck out a leg, the ball hit his knee and went in the back of his own net.

After a much-needed half-time break to catch a breath, it started all over again - only this time it was even more frantic.

In the space of three minutes Newcastle could have scored three times.

On 53 minutes Darren Ambrose's free-kick was met by the head of Caldwell who headed against the bar.

Ambrose tried an audacious chip two minutes later which beat Blayney but again hit the bar.

Then Blayney produced a breathtaking save, somehow turning Shearer's downward far post header over the bar.

There were then far too many chances to list as both sides attacked, attacked, attacked to go for the win, Saints introducing Leandre Griffit for Fernandes on the right.

Blayney produced another top stop with four minutes left when he saved from Bowyer from close range, then Saints were dealt a major blow when Kevin Phillips limped off but couldn't be replaced as all three subs had been used.

But it didn't stop Saints taking the lead with two minutes remaining when Beattie won a flick-on and Griffit held off the attentions of Olivier Bernard to give himself the opportunity to finish through Given's legs.

So then, that was that. A brilliant game with a happy ending for Saints...well, not quite.

The full three minutes of injury time had passed when Ambrose received the ball from Laurent Robert's corner and fired in a low shot from the edge of the area.

It took a slight deflection off Kenton and found its way into the bottom corner.

Somehow it was never going to finish without an injury-time goal.

Thankfully, the St Mary's faithful now have a few months to get over the excitement.