GOING FOR GOAL: Hassan Kachloul battles for the ball.

IF THEY had painted the Titanic in red and white stripes it would never have gone down!

Somehow this supercharged and supremely spirited Saints side have survived again defying all the odds to stay up on the last day for the fourth time in six seasons.

This was the best of the lot. For the first time they did it in style, not worrying about how their rivals were getting on and so doing just enough to cling on.

Instead they went out and proved their Premiership pedigree doggedly and decisively with two goals from Marian Pahars crowning a magnificent team display as Saints won their final fixture for the first time since 1984.

Take away the gnawing tension of the build-up and that sick feeling in the pit of the stomach and it was actually unnaturally comfortable.

Saints had always known their massive negative goal difference meant they had to get a point more than their nearest rivals. Incredibly the final gap over Charlton was five!

Such a margin of safety seemed an impossible dream back when they took just one point from their first nine games, lost to Fulham twice, got hammered at Liverpool and then trailed 3-1 at home to Blackburn.

But this great club has a charmed life created by the magical bond between team and supporters and crystalised as the Spirit of Southampton.

The league table won't show future fans the full extent of the torture this season has brought - but who cares Yet again Saints have come good when it mattered most and they deserved it.

They did not just scrape up through the failure of others; they hit their December safety target virtually bang-on.

Charlton's home defeat was merely a bonus because Dave Jones's men were never going to let slip what they had worked so hard to reclaim when so many were writing them off.

It was clear they were up for this one in a big way with an awesome aggression epitomised by Welsh warhorse Mark Hughes who ploughed into every blue shirt to ensure Everton never settled.

At every turn they found red and white shirts blocking their way as Saints hurled bodies in the way of every opposing player - and sometimes even their own!

With their own safety secured last week a few Merseysiders in holiday mode clearly did not relish such a physical combat with only Don Hutchison putting up any real resistance - and he was lucky to stay on for repeatedly rais-ing his arms.

The dreaded threat of Kevin Campbell never materialised as he was strongly shackled by Ken Monkou who produced a towering display in what could be his last game for the club.

Runner-up in the Echo/Courage Player of the Year vote, he gave wholehearted commitment to a cause he may no longer be fighting next season.

Alongside him the rest of the back line dug in so strongly and defended so far up field that Paul Jones had only two comfy saves to make.

Chris Marsden and Hassan Kachloul backed up Hughes both to deny Everton and to keep Saints moving forward.

Traditional saviour Matthew Le Tissier pinged in corners and shots while new crowd hero James Beattie showed again why he is Player of the Year with a passionate and powerful performance to set up both goals.

It was only the sudden-death significance and the accompa-nying fear factor which made it so tense. If this match was watched on video with no sound, it would be a straight-forward - even dull - affair.

Saints maintained a strangle-hold on the game which only fear could loosen and it might have been very different if Charlton had scored first. Such news could have seriously affected the players - and the crowd!.

Likewise it does not bear thinking of the shattering effect there might have been if Francis Jeffers had taken the golden opportunity in front of goal just two minutes before Pahars scored his first.

There may have been no pressure on him from Everton players but that merely gave him time to realise the enormous implications of what he was about to do.

The Latvian is said to be a big-game player and he proved his temperament beyond question by smashing home from 12 yards.

Strangely the goal seemed to give Saints the jitters for the first time. They were now so close to the prize they were understandably scared of los-ing it.

Half-time gave them a chance to regroup and Pahars settled all the nerves with a remarkable diving header which had far-reaching consequences in South London.

That must have totally demoralised Charlton and may well have contributed to Wednesday's winner. Word of it spread round the ground like a warm flame and unbelievably the last ten min-utes were almost an anti-climax with none of the gut-wrenching tension we have come to expect and even per-versely enjoy.

Saints tightened up by throwing on the fresh legs of John Beresford and Egil Ostenstad and reverting to an orthodox 4-4-2 to protect what they had. Such was the team's disci-pline and determination that the closing stages were a relatively tame formality - an unthinkable luxury in the agonising hours before kick-off.

It allowed the party to kick into top gear long before the final whistle. Now free from all fear the sensational supporters could give vent to all their pent-up fears and frustrations now replaced by unconfined joy and, most of all, relief.

The Dell bounced and sang and celebrated like never before as the players paid their own homage to fans who have made such a difference during this remarkable run to safety.

Even by Saints' standards it has been pretty special, surely the greatest escape yet. But please don't ever try to top it!

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