Eckert points to "power from the bench" in Watford win
Tonda Eckert pointed to the power of his bench as Southampton edged another tight game to continue climbing the Championship table.
The head coach was able to call upon Shea Charles as a first-half substitute in place of the injured Flynn Downes, before a double change midway through the second period swung the match in Saints’ favour.
The head coach was able to call upon Shea Charles as a first-half substitute in place of the injured Flynn Downes, before a double change midway through the second period swung the match in Saints’ favour.
Samuel Edozie returned to make his first Saints appearance in 18 months, while debutant Cyle Larin, signed on loan from RCD Mallorca on transfer deadline day, headed home with his first touch for the club three minutes into his Saints career.
It proved to be the only goal of the game, as Saints saw off play-off rivals Watford to secure a third win in four, as Eckert’s side continue their pursuit of the top six.
“Another clean sheet is always nice. I think we’ve made some steps forward as a group, as a team, and you can see that on the pitch today,” the head coach reflected.
“It was a tough game, a very good opponent, and in the end those are the games you need to win.
“I was very happy with Sammy coming on, and I think for Cyle it couldn’t have gone any better than scoring in three minutes with his first touch.
“That’s what we need. There will be many games that you bring to a certain moment and then they can go in both directions, and that’s where we need power from the bench. We had that today, and it’s a very deserved three points.
“I think we had some nice recoveries high up the pitch. In the first half we had a couple of situations that we can play a little bit better towards the end, but still enough moments, with Ross, with Finn, with Leo in the second half, where we had the chance to go up.
“It’s important in those even games that you use the small margins that you get in a game to bring the game in your direction, and we did this today, so I’m very happy.”
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