Glenn Hoddle must have been tempted to check the small print on his new contract to see if there was an escape clause after seeing his side slip back to their old ways.

Four successive wins, three clean sheets, some exciting displays and a climb into the top eight sparked a surge of optimism around The Dell.

It culminated in the pre-match announcement that the former England coach had signed a new contract to keep him at the club until July, 2002.

But the ink was barely dry on his 18-month extension when the old defensive failings returned to haunt Saints, undoing all their good approachwork.

Overall they did not play badly but they failed to take their numerous chances and they were punished for their lapses at the back.

They were two down in half an hour despite having nearly all the play as they gave away two sloppy goals.

After the break they intensified the pressure still further and did everything but score until Marian Pahars finally got them back in it with 11 minutes to go.

He hurled himself forward to score with a diving header from a nod forward by James Beattie whose height and power and aerial threat made a big difference after coming on as substitute.

With memories of the fightback against Liverpool still fresh in the mind, that was more than enough time to level or even to win it.

But frustratingly they never got the chance to capitalise on the steadily mounting momentum as they instantly gifted Boro an unnecessary third.

Sadly it stemmed from an error by Paul Jones who had kept his side in it with an almost unbelievable reflex save from Hamilton Ricard's diving header on 56 minutes at point blank range.

Keith O'Neill's left-wing cross looked harmless enough but he palmed the ball onto the head of Alen Boksic who steered it home.

That killed the atmosphere for any fightback to flourish as a vitriolic section of the crowd turned against their own keeper and chanted for Neil Moss.

The fans had virtually roared Saints back level against Liverpool but this time there was merely an air of depressed resignation about the ground and the game petered out tamely with no gung-ho cavalry charge.

It left supporters to stream out still wondering how their side ended up losing a match they largely dominated.

The answer lay in the economy of finishing, with Croatian hitman Boksic the difference between the two teams.

Boro had four real efforts on target and scored from three of them while Saints peppered the goal but lacked the same conviction.

Uwe Rosler worked hard at holding the ball up for the midfield runners to come through but there was no cutting edge, no real firepower.

These days in football you get what you pay for and, while Boksic arrived on a Bosman free from Lazio, he was lured by a reputed salary of £60,000 a week.

And he proved why he can command such wages with a superb solo goal after just 16 minutes and very much against the run of play.

Although the finish itself was pure quality, Saints will be kicking themselves for letting him get the ball in the first place.

Wayne Bridge had gone on a storming run at goal but no-one dropped into the gap to cover for him so, when Christian Karembeu swept a diagonal ball out to the right, there was no-one to prevent Boksic retrieving it.

Claus Lundekvam and Dean Richards tried to get across to cover but by now the proven international was in full and majestic stride.

He drifted almost effortlessly past both and drilled a precision shot into the bottom right corner.

Whether it was the timing, the injustice or the sheer quality of the strike, it seemed to knock some of the stuffing out of Saints who lost their way until the 31st minute when a second goal gave them a wake-up call.

It was much more chaotic than the first as a short corner on the left was worked to O'Neill whose cross was knocked back across goal by ricard.

With the defence in disarray, Dean richards and Rosler both missed the chance to kick clear and Gianluca Festa bundled home from close range.

From then on it was all Southampton who created a succession of good chances which somehow stayed out of the net to steadily increase the fear that this was one of those days.

Richards seemed certain to score with a close range first-time sidefoot blast on 34 minutes but Gary Walsh, on loan from Bradford, made a remarkable reaction save.

Tahar El Khalej could have had a hat-trick. He glanced a header wide when well-placed from a free-kick by Matthew Le tissier whose deadball delivery remains impeccable.

On 56 minutes the Moroccan powered in a header which hit the trailing foot of Walsh who knew little about it as he dived the wrong way and four minutes later he prodded against a post as he slid in on Jason Dodd's diagonal ball.

Le tisser put a 30-yard free-kick inches over, Rosler headed wide and Trond soltvedt slammed an angled shot against the post.

Just when it seemed it was not their day, Pahars gave them hope which was quashed just as quickly as Boro secured their first win at The Dell since 1989.

It maintained their unbeaten record on the road and it was easy to see why they are so successful on their travels with three solid centre-backs and the skills of Boksic perfectly suited to a counter-attacking game.

Saints built up neatly enough with Matthew Oakley again a solid central cog and both full-backs getting forward well.

But they lacked the finishing touch in front of goal and, after four very solid games at the back, they reverted to type with sloppy defending costing dear.

As Hoddle contemplates his priorities after signing a new deal, he will want to cure the club's infuriating habit which has plagued them over many years of getting a good away win and then failing to build on it at home.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.