St Mary’s Stadium, home of Southampton FC based in Hampshire and play their trade in the Premier League. Nicknamed the “Saints” as the club were first a church football team and playing their home games at St Mary’s Church.
Today was a trip down to the South Coast for the FA Cup clash between Southampton and Burnley at St Mary’s Stadium. What made this one even more interesting was meeting up with my mate Stefan—who just so happens to be a Portsmouth fan! But he still cheered on the Saints today!
A little look around the city of Southampton but not really the best day to do so with the weather being a bit gloomy… A glimpse of above bar and me and Stefan made our way to the ground. £24 for this one! Sweet!
Out come the teams and the band! “OH WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN!”
Kick Off! The game started with an early scare for Southampton, as Burnley’s Benson broke into the box in just the 2nd minute. He got his shot away with the keeper beaten, but the Saints defenders scrambled back to clear it off the line—an early warning sign!
Southampton had a golden opportunity in the 24th minute when they pounced on a loose ball from the Burnley keeper, but despite having a great chance, the shot was saved, and the rebound was somehow cleared off the line. They were the better side as the first half went on, but at the break, it was still 0-0.
In the second half, Southampton kept pushing for the breakthrough, but Burnley had other ideas. In the 77th minute, they broke down the left, got a fortunate bounce in the box, and the ball fell kindly for them to square it across to Marcus Edwards, who bundled it in. Burnley fans loved that one!
Despite Southampton’s late efforts to grab an equaliser, Burnley stood firm and held on to book their place in the next round. A frustrating night for the Saints, but a great cup tie to watch! As for Stefan, he was very disappointed with the result, not your typical Pompey fan in this case as he is a big cheerleader for football in the local area and was also disappointed at the fans leaving early as the players deserved a round of applause for that performance today.
FT: Southampton 0-1 Burnley
Ratings
- Atmosphere: 7/10 – I thought both sets of fans were decent today! Would love liked to see a full house though…
- The Ground: 8/10 – Very nice to say it is a bowl, great view of the pitch, the concourse a little bit cramped but a good ground all in all.
- Expense: 10/10 – Paid more to see Mansfield Town… Can’t argue with that price of £24!
- Overall Experience: 7/10 – Really enjoyed my day in Southampton with Stefan and to tick off this ground after seeing it so many times on TV.
32/40