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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.

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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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