And it just happened to be snowing-- and snowing A LOT.
Mackinnon and his dad picked me up from my accommodation around 2,30PM.
We made the drive down the M6 to Birmingham for the Saints-Birmingham City match.
It was a chilly 26ish degrees Fahrenheit.
Let me point this out. It was something like 26ish degrees.
With the wind it was PROBABLY a lot colder.
Yet it didn't stop this Saints supporter from being an absolutely legend.
And yes, he is topless in the snowy conditions.
We arrived at St. Andrews, the City grounds around 4PM, just under an 1 1/2 till kickoff.
After satisfying my tummy with a burger from a stand, we headed to the gates.
As we entered, Sky Sports who was covering the match asked Mackinnon and I to show off our Saints' kits for the camera. They also wanted to get us entering the gates.
Southampton came into the match having lost their autumn form. The start to 2012 has been a bit difficult as a Saints supporter, but the last two matches, Cardiff City (1-1) and the FA Cup match against Millwall (1-1) have seen better performances from the side. Also the play of center back, Aaron Martin, has been very critical to the defensive 3rd as his play has been magnificent.
Coming into the match, the Saints added 3 new faces to the club during the transfer window-- Tadanari Lee, Yago Falqué (on loan from Tottenham), and the latest signing, Billy Sharp from Doncaster. Unfortunately Falqué and Lee were both left off the roster. I had really been looking forward to seeing Tadanari Lee play, but I will have to wait till next match I guess.
The first half saw minimum action as the pitch was being pounded by not only the snowfall from the sky, but also the snow blowing off the roofs. The ball was mainly played in the middle of the pitch, but every so often, the adventurous footballer would find an opportunity along the wing to create space, though it never accumulated to anything. The Saints stayed on the defensive for about the first quarter of an hour before they changed shape to a 4-3-1-2 (Credit: Mackinnon). And the team really played well in the latter part of the half.
The second half was much the same, but the Saints carried over their attacking form. The second half would also see the anticipated introduction/debut of Billy Sharp. There were several chances in the attacking third by the Saints that could've produced goals, but the chances were thwarted and never came to anything. The rest of the 2nd 45 went much as the first as the Saints played to hold the draw and escape the snow with a point. Lambert had one last look on goal from a free kick just outside the box, but it was a chance not taken. The match would end 0-0.
As a whole, the match was very subdue. I did enjoy seeing a good snowfall though, but maybe not during a football match when I really want something good to happen for the Saints. The draw leaves Southampton 4 points back of league leading West Ham who won 2-1 against Millwall earlier in the day. The draw also puts the Saints 2 points clear of Cardiff City who lost 3-1 to Blackpool.
Southampton FC Starting IX: Kelvin Davis, Fraser Richardson, Jose Fonte, Aaron Martin, Daniel Fox, Adam Lallana, Jack Cork, Morgan Schneiderlin, Jason Puncheon, David Connolly, Rickie Lambert.
Southampton Subs: Bartosz Bialkowski, Dean Hammond, Guly Do Prado, Billy Sharp Dan Harding.
Billy Sharp --> David Connolly '50
Guly Do Prado --> Jason Puncheon '73
Jack Cork --> Dean Hammond '80
Birmingham City Starting XI: Boaz Myhill, David Murphy, Steven Caldwell, Curtis Davies, Jonathan Spector, Chris Burke, Guirane N'Daw, Keith Fahey, Jordan Mutch, Marlon King, Adam Rooney.
Birmingham Subs: Colin Doyle, Pablo Ibáñez, Nathan Redmond, Jake Jervis, Wade Elliott.
Wade Elliott --> Adam Rooney '65
The drive home was a bit crazy as snow was falling hard. It had accumulated on all streets within Birmingham City. The roads were pretty good on the motorways though which did help, even if we were only trucking down the road at 40mph. A part of the M6 and a part of the A34 which were the routes back into Manchester were both closed for a period of time during our return making it difficult to predict if we would get back. But we waited it out at a service station as we got food and the rest of the journey home went swimmingly.
Oh...
And for the record... since Mack recorded the match and looked at it when he got back...
WE WERE ON SKY SPORTS!!!
