SAINTS 0 - PALACE 0

Saturday's dismal defeat against Ipswich and the anti-Lowe protests that followed marked one of the lowest points in the club's history.

So it's fair to say hopes were hardly high for the visit of Crystal Palace, who are storming up the Championship table at present.

In fact, the build-up somehow underlined the turnaround.

Eighteen months ago, the fixture list came out and Saints were looking at a banker for three Premier-ship points against promoted Palace St Mary's.

Now, a draw in the Championship would be considered a good result.

That's exactly what they got.

And, because of the manner of the performance, the crowd stuck with the players.

The fans had been determined to continue their anti-Lowe protests and they are likely to continue unabated until the chairman leaves.

But that was put to one side for the majority of the game as the fans responded to the team's drive, energy and commitment and gave it right back to them.

The whole ground seemed galvanised. It was going to go one of two ways - either the team would flop and the crowd would turn on Lowe or the team would do well and the passion would be directed positively at the team.

On this occasion, it was the later.

The fans cheered on the team and saved the protests to a mass demo outside the ground after the game.

They may have drawn the curtains at St Mary's to block the view of the protesters but their message still got through loud and clear.

As, clearly, has Burley's on the field.

There is still a long, long way to go for Saints but this performance was infinitely better than that at the weekend.

And the team selection had something of the future written all over it.

Burley has had time to assess his squad and he knows the players he wants to stay and the ones he believes will go out and do a good job for him.

The absences last night said as much as the players who were there.

Palace are a decent team but never got into their stride, partly because it wasn't a top night for them and partly because Saints didn't let them.

They got in their faces and disrupted their pattern of play at every opportunity.

Saints looked understandably short of confidence but did at least take a small step on the road to regaining some much needed pride with a committed display.

The work rate of the players was phenomenal.

Of course, the same problem that has been bugging them all season was there again.

For all the commendable huff and puff, the strong tackles and the brave passes, they never really looked like scoring.

Once in the final third, there is still a lack of quality.

The balance is not right and there really doesn't look like there are open play goals in the team right now.

You want the players to succeed after a performance like last night, because of the effort they are putting in.

But sometimes effort alone is not enough. But then Burley knows that only too well, hence his desire to bring in extra quality during the transfer window.

Burley handed debuts to Andrew Surman, who showed he has a future in the game on the left of midfield, and 18-year-old keeper Bartosz Bialkowski.

After a shaky start, in which Andy Johnson almost lobbed him after a misjudged charge from his area, he settled down and kept a clean sheet.

There were a few scares for him.

As well as the first half lob, Johnson came close no fewer than four times in the second half, and had a goal ruled out for offside.

On another day, he might have scored all four.

Bialkowski also had to save well from Wayne Andrews.

For Saints, who had a strong second half handball penalty appeal turned down, the best chances came from a Kenwyne Jones header that crept wide and a couple of lively runs and shots from Marian Pahars that showed he is getting back to some sort of match fitness.

He is one player that had that extra bit of quality Saints need in the final third.

But it was a decent day for Saints. Lowe could do with a few more like this.