Michael Svensson broke Saints' four-game goalless run and, with it, a few bookies ' hearts.

The big Swede got a foot to Rory Delap's low drive in the sixth minute which left Jason Euell and Dean Kiely unable to stop it crossing the line.

But the cheer at St Mary's wasn't just extra loud because the fans had to wait to wait so long for a goal - but also because so many punters put a wager on him to score the first goal at odds as long as 40-1.

"I know a few people have a bet on me sometimes," said Svensson. "I've had a few chances this season that I haven't taken so it's nice to get the goal - I hope I've paid a few people back!"

He added: "I just stuck my foot in to get something on it and when I looked up the linesman was flagging for a goal so I started running to celebrate.

"We were delighted at half-time but we knew we had to keep working because Charlton are a very good side.

"They hit quite a lot of long balls and tried to win the second ball with players like Scott Parker and Claus Jensen and started playing from there.

"We knew that was how they were going to play and, although they had a few chances from that, we defended really well. It was only two superb goals from Scott Parker that kept them in the game.

"But after they equalised we pulled ourselves together and continued to create some good chances. We showed good spirit to turn it around for a victory."

Svensson was also buoyed by the news that Saints' win lifted them to eighth - just two points off fifth place.

"It feels like we are starting a good run now and we are scoring some goals so this could be an important result for us," he said. "Three points means a lot at the moment because it is a close league - if you win a game you go up a lot of places."

Speaking of two-goal Brett Ormerod he added: "Brett deserves every credit he gets because he worked phenomenally hard and played fantastically well."