SOUTHAMPTON 0 CITY 0
League Division 1
8th April 1970
attendance 24,384
Ref P Walters
City Corrigan, Book, Pardoe, Doyle, Booth, Oakes, Towers, Young, Summerbee, Lee, Bell – sub Donachie(unused)
Southampton Martin, Kirkup, Byrne, Fisher, Gabriel, Walker, O’Brien, Channon, Davies, Paine, Jenkins
FROM THE PRESS BOX
DAVID LACEY WRITING IN THE GUARDIAN 9TH APRIL 1970
A point was all that Southampton needed to be reasonably sure of First Division football next season and this they achieved at The Dell last night in a shapeless and goalless draw with Manchester City.
For a side who, even at Christmas, were thinking in terms of what they could win rather than what they might lose, Southampton’s decline nas been precipitate. Paine’s suspension and the spasmodic form and fitness of Davies has undoubtedly been major contributory factors in a run of a dozen games which has brought them only one victory, and that the singular affair at Leeds on Easter Saturday. But their troubles run deeper.
For much of the time this season Southampton have lacked the organisation which would put to better use the flair of their more talented players. Last night, for example, Channon chased tirelessly in pursuit of open spaces, frequently matching his opposite number Bell, in the intelligence of his running. But he enjoyed little coordinated support. Southampton usually looked promising whenever Paine advanced from his deep position in midfield, but otherwise their answers to City’s eloquent movements rarely amounted to more than a series of stutters.
In the first half Southampton attempted to pick the lock of the Manchester City defence but found the combination beyond them: In the second half they tried to break the door down but Corrigan was an immovable obstacle.
Their best chance came eight minutes after half time when. with half the players dashing back to set an offside trap and the other half running to avoid it, Paine extracted the balll from among all the feet and advanced alone on Corrigan, who made a grab as he shot arid pushed the ball round a post.
Later Paine tipped a corner towards the near post and Channon headed it against. the bar. As the ball came down Corrigan patted the ball back against the bar and cleared it at the second attempt. Fifteen minutes from the end Corrigan again thwarted Southampton by falling on a shot from Fisher.
City, mindful of their game against Schalke 04 in the Cup winners Cup next week, did little more than attempt to preserve their impartiality, having been beaten by Sunderland and Crystal Palace in the previous four days. Lee’s shots varied in length and direction but the only time he came near to reaching some sort of target was in the first half when he nearly knocked off a policeman’s helmet.