SOUTHAMPTON v WEST BROMWICH ALBION
Barclays Premier League Saturday 16th January 2016,
3:00pm St Mary's Stadium
MATCH
NOTES
The game will be the 74th league and cup meeting of the two
sides. Southampton currently have the edge in terms of victories with 26
compared to Albion's 23. There have been 11 previous Premier League meetings
with Albion winning four and Southampton three.
Albion's last game on this date took place in 2005 when Bryan
Robson's side suffered a 1-0 Premier League defeat against Fulham at Craven
Cottage, Papa Bouba Diop heading a last-gasp winner for the hosts. The Baggies'
last win on January 16 came back in 1993 when Ossie Ardiles' team beat Exeter
City 3-2 in a thrilling game at St James' Park, Carl Heggs, Gary Hackett and Ian
Hamilton on the scoresheet as Albion came from 2-0 down to take all three points.
The Saints' last game on this date took place in
2013 when they played out a 2-2 against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, current
Albion striker Rickie Lambert and Jason Puncheon the Southampton goalscorers.
The Baggies have scored just one goal in their last
five meetings with Southampton whilst the Saints have scored just twice in the
last eight Premier League meetings.
Albion have scored just eight
goals away from home in the league this season - only Newcastle (five) have
scored less.
Southampton have scored 19 goals
at home in this season's Premier League - only Manchester City (29) and Everton
(23) have scored more.
Albion's
last six games: Chelsea (A) 2-2;
Bristol City (H, FAC) 2-2; Stoke City (H) 2-1;
Newcastle United (H) 1-0; Swansea City (A) 0-1; Bournemouth (H) 1-2.
Southampton's last six games: Watford (H) 2-0;
Crystal Palace (H, FAC) 1-2; Norwich City (A) 0-1; West Ham United (A) 1-2;
Arsenal (H) 4-0; Tottenham Hotspur (H) 0-2.
TEAM
NEWS
Albion
James Morrison is missing due to
the hamstring injury suffered against
Chelsea
in midweek.
Rickie Lambert is available
again after illness but Jonas Olsson is a doubt following a recurrence of his
hamstring problem.
Squad: Foster, Myhill,
Lindegaard, Chester, Gamboa, Dawson, Olsson, McAuley, Evans, Brunt, Pocognoli,
Fletcher, Yacob, McClean, McManaman, Gardner, Sessegnon, Lambert, Berahino,
Anichebe, Rondon.
Southampton
Midfielder Victor Wanyama is
available again after serving a two-match suspension whilst Graziano Pelle could
return to the starting line-up after making his return from a knee injury as a
substitute in Wednesday's win over Watford.
Gaston Ramirez is still out with
a hamstring injury whilst Florian Gardos is also missing due to a knee problem.
Squad: Forster, Stekelenburg,
Gazzaniga, K Davis, Martina, Van Dijk, Fonte, Yoshida, Targett, Clasie,
Ward-Prowse, Romeu, S Davis, Tadic, Ramirez, Mane, Long, Pelle, Juanmi, Wanyama.
MATCH
ODDS
Result
Albion Win: 9/2, Southampton Win: 3/4, Draw:
9/4.
First Goalscorer Albion:
Lambert 9/1, Berahino 9/1, Rondon 9/1, Anichebe 10/1, Sessegnon 12/1, McManaman
14/1, McClean 14/1, Gardner 16/1, Brunt 25/1, Dawson 25/1,
Fletcher 25/1, McAuley 33/1, Evans 33/1.
Southampton: Pelle 4/1, Long 4/1, Juanmi 9/2, Mane
5/1, Tadic 11/2, Seager 11/2, Ward-Prowse 9/1, Davis 9/1, Wanyama
11/1, Clasie 12/1, Romeu 12/1, van Dijk 14/1, Reed 25/1, Fonte 25/1, Yoshida
25/1, Soares 28/1, Martina 28/1, Targett 28/1, Bertrand 28/1.
No goalscorer: 15/2.
www.williamhill.com
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Martin
Atkinson (West Yorkshire)
Assistant Referees:
Stuart Burt (Northamptonshire) & Lee Betts (Norfolk)
Fourth Official: Peter Bankes (Merseyside)
Atkinson will be taking charge of his fourth Albion game
this season after officiating the Baggies' 1-1 draw at West Ham in November, the
1-0 win over Sunderland at The Hawthorns in October and the 1-0 win at Aston
Villa in September.
He took charge of two Albion games last season -
the 3-2 defeat at home to Leicester City in April and the 4-0 FA Cup win over
West Ham in February.
The West Yorkshire official last took charge of a
Southampton game last March - the Saints' 1-0 win at home over Crystal Palace.
Atkinson has handed out 101 yellow cards and no red
in the 27 games he has refereed so far this season.
A full run-down of Atkinson's history refereeing the
Baggies can be found
here
TICKET INFORMATION
Albion have been handed an
allocation of 1,800 tickets priced at £34 adults, £30 seniors (over-65s) and
17-21s, £21 Under-17s, £12 Under-11s.
WEATHER FORECAST
Sunny, 4°C.
FIXTURE HISTORY
Albion first met Southampton in league
action during the 1927/28 season at second division level.
The first game, which
took place at The Dell on April 9, saw the home side run out 3-2
winners. Jerry Mackie, Jimmy Bullock and Stan Cribb scored the Saints' goals
whilst Tommy Glidden and Joe Carter notched for the visitors. The Baggies didn't
have to wait long to gain revenge, the return game was played just 24 hours
later, Albion winning 2-1, Jimmy Cookson and Sammy Short scoring for the hosts.
Albion's biggest league win against
Southampton is 5-1 which came at The Hawthorns in May 1930, Jimmy Cookson
scoring four of the Baggies' goals. Albion, under the leadership of Ron
Atkinson, also recorded a 4-0 win in October 1979, John Deehan, Gary Owen,
Bryan Robson and Ally Brown the goalscorers.
Albion's heaviest league defeat against
Southampton came at The Dell in August 1967, the Baggies suffering a 4-0 defeat
with Ron Davies notching a brace for the home side. Albion also suffered a 4-1
defeat at The Dell in December 1982 and lost a seven goal thriller in March
1985, again at The Dell.
Southampton's win at The Hawthorns on the
opening day of the 2013/14 season was their first at the venue since the last game of the 1983/84 season
which saw Steve Moran and David Puckett
hitting the goals in a 2-0 win for the Saints.
Albion have a particularly poor record against the Saints away from home,
winning just four times in 37 league and cup games, the last victory coming in
April 2013 when a Steve Clarke-led side won 3-0.
A full fixture history between the two teams can be found here
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
(Click on game to view)
Saturday 27 April 2013 - Southampton 0-3 Albion - Premier League - St Mary's Stadium
Monday 28 April 2008 - Albion 1-1 Southampton - League Championship - The Hawthorns
Saturday 21 February 1981 - Southampton 2-2 Albion - First Division - The Dell
Saturday 27 September 1980 - Albion 2-1 Southampton - First Division - The Hawthorns
LAST MEETING AT ST MARY'S STADIUM
Southampton
0-0 Albion Barclays Premier League Saturday 23rd August 2014,
3:00pm
Southampton: Forster;
Clyne, Fonte, Yoshida, Bertrand; Schneiderlin, Wanyama; S Davis (Long HT),
Ward-Prowse (Cork 78), Tadic; Pelle. Subs not used: K Davis (gk),
Gardos, Taider, Hooiveld, Isgrove.
Booked: Clyne 66 (foul)
Albion:
Foster; Wisdom,
Dawson, Olsson, Pocognoli (Davidson 60); Mulumbu, Gardner; Berahino (Sessegnon
89), Dorrans, Brunt; Anichebe (Ideye 52). Subs not used: Myhill (gk),
McAuley, Yacob, Baird.
Booked:
Brunt 42 (kicking ball away),
Gardner 81 (foul)
Attendance: 27,598
Referee: Roger East (Wiltshire)
Southampton and West Brom played
out a goalless draw as Ronald Koeman's first home game in charge of Saints
failed to usher in an exciting new era. Both sides resisted the urge to bring in
their big-money summer strikers as Shane Long and Brown Ideye were left warming
the Southampton and West Brom benches respectively. The duo came on, but could
not make telling contributions, with Baggies boss Alan Irvine no doubt the
happier of the two managers to settle for a share of the spoils. In such a tight
game the lingering question was all too obvious. Could Adam Lallana or Rickie
Lambert, both sold to Liverpool over the summer, have unlocked a West Brom
defence that was more sturdy than the one which conceded twice to
Sunderland last weekend? Koeman brought in Graziano Pelle and Dusan
Tadic to cushion the blow of losing his
England international duo but,
despite signs of sharpness from the latter, neither could take on the mantle of
Southampton's match-winner. The game proved to be a missed opportunity for the
new manager and his own recruits to show Saints fans they are moving on from a
summer of upheaval.
Having impressed for large parts
of their opening defeat at
Liverpool, Koeman warned other clubs would have taken note of how good
his side are. But it was the visitors who started well at St Mary's, with
Irvine's charges also looking to
make an impact. Baggies' captain Chris Brunt had a shout for a penalty as early
as the second minute, but referee Roger East was unmoved as he fell inside the
area while looking to turn the
Southampton defence. Brunt was involved again shortly afterwards as his
cross was met by Victor Anichebe, who reacted quickest to swing a boot at the
ball, only to see his effort fly wide.
With former West Brom striker
Long again only starting from the bench for Koeman's side, fellow summer signing
Pelle was given the responsibility of operating as the main forward. The former
Italy Under-21 international had
Southampton's first chance of the game, but could only glance an eighth-minute
header wide of a post. But again it was the travelling fans who saw their side
come close to breaking the deadlock as Graeme Dorrans had his low shot bravely
blocked by Saints captain Jose Fonte.
Southampton started to turn the tide in their favour and it was
Jonas Olsson who had to block Pelle's effort after good work down the left by
Ryan Bertrand. Pelle was again involved as Tadic's cross drifted just too high
for the ex-Feyenoord man to reach, with
West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster
caught in no-man's land after a mix-up with Andre Wisdom. England international
Foster was on hand to make the first real save of the game as he pushed away
Tadic's close-range effort after the
Serbia
international had done well to initially win the ball back.
Long was introduced at the break
in place of Steven Davis, with Ideye brought on for his Baggies debut 10 minutes
later. But it was Tadic who wasted the best chance in the early stages of the
second half, drifting inside unchallenged before rolling a tame shot at Foster.
West Brom hit their hosts on the break and Sebastien Pocognoli's deep cross was
headed into the side-netting by Ideye. That proved to be Pocognoli's last
contribution as the Belgium international was forced off, with Jason Davidson,
another debutant, taking his place. Tadic was proving to be the man most likely
to make something happen and he came close to his first Saints goal after
drilling Long's knock-down narrowly wide. With Southampton starting to ask more
questions, James Ward-Prowse hit the outside of a post with a bending free-kick,
with Foster seemingly well-beaten. Irvine's side were dangerous when they went
forward and Ideye continued to impress as he turned Fonte inside the box and
forced the best save of the match out of a sprawling Fraser Forster. But neither
side could fashion a chance to take all three points with a late winner, with a
point apiece a fair reflection of a forgettable afternoon.
Sporting Life
CURRENT CONNECTIONS
England international Rickie Lambert spent five hugely successful seasons
with Southampton after joining the club from Bristol Rovers in August 2009. The
Liverpool-born striker scored 117 goals in 235 games for the Saints before
leaving for his boyhood heroes Liverpool in the summer of 2014. After just one season
at Anfield Lambert joined Albion in a reported £3million deal.
Southampton striker Shane Long spent almost
two and a half years at The Hawthorns after joining from Reading in August 2011.
The Irish-man left the Baggies in January 2014 to join Hull City but spent just
six months with the Tigers before joining the Saints for a reported fee of
£12million.
PAST
CONNECTIONS
Amongst the players to have turned out at various levels for
both clubs are: Chris Baird, James Bowden, Tommy Broad, Harry Brown, Les Bruton, David Burnside,
Richard Chaplow, Mickey Evans, Sammy Farrington, Ricardo Fuller, Bruce Grobbelaar, Harry
Hadley, Ian Hamilton, Ivan Katalinic, Billy Light, Graham Lovett, Mike
McCartney, Roddy McLeod, Carlton Palmer, Pedro Pele, Chris
Perry, Kevin Phillips, Graham Potter, Nigel Quashie, Mel Rees, John Reynolds,
Graham Roberts, Bobby Robson, Uwe Rosler, Terry Simpson, David
Speedie, Derek Statham, Andy Townsend and Stuart Williams.
Ex-Albion assistant manager Frank Burrows was formerly a coach
at Southampton; Mike Kelly was a coach at both clubs; Former
Albion defender Garry Pendrey was Saints' assistant manager under
Gordon Strachan.
ALL-TIME LEAGUE & CUP RECORD VS SOUTHAMPTON
VENUE |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
Home |
36 |
19 |
11 |
6 |
47 |
27 |
Away |
37 |
4 |
13 |
20 |
37 |
62 |
Total |
73 |
23 |
24 |
26 |
84 |
89 |
LAST
TEN MATCHES AGAINST SOUTHAMPTON
DATE |
COMPETITION |
H/A |
F-A |
GOALSCORERS |
GATE |
Sat 12 Sep 2015 |
Premier League |
H |
0-0 |
|
24,265 |
Sat 28 Feb 2015 |
Premier League |
H |
1-0 |
Berahino |
25,303 |
Sat 23 Aug 2014 |
Premier League |
A |
0-0 |
|
27,598 |
Sat 11 Jan 2014 |
Premier League |
A |
0-1 |
Lallana |
28,610 |
Sat 17 Aug 2013 |
Premier League |
H |
0-1 |
Lambert (pen) |
25,927 |
Sat 27 Apr 2013 |
Premier League |
A |
3-0 |
Fortuné, Lukaku, Long |
31,946 |
Mon 05 Nov 2012 |
Premier League |
H |
2-0 |
Odemwingie 2 |
25,635 |
Mon 28 Apr 2008 |
Championship |
H |
1-1 |
Brunt - Lallana |
26,167 |
Sat 06 Oct 2007 |
Championship |
A |
2-3 |
Koren 2 - John 2, Skacel |
21,967 |
Sat 10 Feb 2007 |
Championship |
H |
1-1 |
Phillips - Jones |
21,138 |
OTHER PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday 16th January
12:45pm - Tottenham Hotspur v Sunderland.
3:00pm - Bournemouth v Norwich City; Chelsea v Everton; Manchester City v
Crystal Palace; Newcastle United v West Ham United.
5:30pm - Aston Villa v Leicester City.
Sunday
17th January
2:05pm - Liverpool v Manchester United.
4:15pm - Stoke City v Arsenal.
Monday 18th January
8:00pm - Swansea City v Watford.
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