THAT OLD footballing adage 'a game of two halves' might well have been coined with this match in mind.

The first 45 minutes was mind numbing, depressing, thoroughly unentertaining.

The second half by contrast was full of incident, great goals, debut goals, a sending off and a ruck - in short, it had it all.

It was hard to believe that it was the same game.

Now this would normally be the point in the match report where I would describe the first half incidents of note. Here they are:

Kick off.

Two reasonably comfortable saves from Brad Friedel.

Half-time.

But it's just as well, because if that was any longer I'd not have room to fit in everything that happened in the second half.

Just moments after the re-start Blackburn began to look a little menacing - something they had rarely achieved in the first period playing a 4-5-1 formation against Southampton's water tight defence.

Barry Ferguson called Antti Niemi into action while Tugay and Brett Emerton went close.

But for most of the half it was all Saints - whatever Gordon Strachan said to them at half-time was obviously inspired.

Suddenly the same XI players had a purpose and a direction about their play that had be missing up until that point.

Despite Saints creating the better chances in the first half, Blackburn always seemed the more likely.

When Graeme Souness' team launched a rare counter attack they looked quick and incisive.

Saints, on the other hand, while looking as miserly as ever in defence, looked cumbersome and uninspiring in attack.

Save the threat of Graeme Le Saux on the left, Saints' best hope came from Rory Delap's long throws or set-pieces, hoping for a lucky break in the box.

But in the second half it looked as though Saints could create and not just batter down the Rovers defence for a goal.

Jo Tessem, who started up front alongside James Beattie after Brett Ormerod reported sick, had a couple of good chances he fired wide.

Saints certainly missed the potency of Kevin Phillips.

On 56 minutes Neil McCann proved persistence can pay off when he battled on the left by-line and won the ball.

He got to his feet and crossed for Beattie, who uncharacteristically headed wide from 12 yards when unmarked.

But Beattie wasn't to be subdued for much longer.

A minute before the hour mark he was shoved in the back 25 yards out in the centre of the goal.

The man himself stepped up and hammered a free kick into Friedel's bottom right hand corner for Saints' first goal in 467 minutes of football.

Six minutes later all hell broke loose.

Blackburn were incensed by a McCann foul and suddenly it all kicked off.

Andy Cole went crazy and flew at Rory Delap, Michael Svensson charged in, Cole grabbed at him as well and there were plenty of handbags at ten paces between most of the players.

Referee Steve Bennett gave Cole a red card and Blackburn really had their backs against the wall.

Friedel had a couple more stops to make from Beattie before Tessem got through on goal, but dithered a little for Andy Todd to get back and make a decisive challenge as he went to pull the trigger.

That was Tessem's last action before he was replaced by Leandre Griffit.

The 19-year-old Frenchman, signed in the summer, has impressed greatly in the reserves as a right-footer playing on the left wing.

He's scored four times for the second string this season and his pace and clinical finishing have seen him pushing for a first team place well ahead of schedule.

And he showed both of those qualities with three minutes remaining when Beattie played him in.

Griffit controlled the ball and then majestically swept a side-footed shot into the bottom corner of the net from the edge of the area.

There have been calls for a month or so for him to play - he's going to be hard to leave out in the future.

Griffit's a genuinely exciting prospect and he looks ready.

As for Saints, well perhaps Griffit is what they need.

The defensive qualities are coursing throughout the team and, with that little extra dimension, there's a lot that can be achieved.