Report: Saints fight back to finish pre-season with Brighton draw
Southampton finished up their pre-season preparations with a test against high-quality opposition, as they fought back to earn a 2-2 draw with Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion.
The clubs, who had earlier in the day played a behind-closed doors, 60-minute training match, faced off at St Mary’s a week out from the new Championship campaign getting under way, with two goals from Yankuba Minteh putting the visitors ahead before Saints rallied through a Jay Robinson strike and Adam Armstrong penalty.
For Saints, summer signings Joshua Quarshie and Damion Downs both made their first appearances at the stadium, while there was also a debut for the new black-and-red third kit following its release earlier in the week.
Saints lined up in the new third kit for the first time (Photo: Matt Watson)
It was the person wearing orange for the home side who caught the eye in the early stages, though, as goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu made a superb save in the fourth minute to keep the game goalless, springing to his right at full stretch to tip Diego Gomez’s shot from just outside the area wide of the post.
Saints could have gone ahead themselves on 17 minutes when a nice move from a deep free-kick culminated in James Bree crossing for Quarshie, who was unmarked in the middle of the box, but the defender put his header well wide.
The opening goal of the game did then arrive, in the 25th minute, as Brighton broke forward and Minteh curled an exquisite, low finish past his marker, Quarshie, beyond the reach of a diving Bazunu and just inside the far post from about 16 yards out.
Saints threatened an equaliser ten minutes before the interval when Shea Charles got on the end of a Ryan Manning free-kick, but his flicked header towards the far corner flew inches over via the aid of a deflection off a Brighton head.
Half time brought no changes from either manager, although Will Still was forced into one soon after the restart as Bree picked up a knock and was replaced by Yuki Sugawara.
Sugawara was quickly in the thick of the action, making a magnificent sliding block deep in his own area to deny Matt O’Riley what looked like a certain goal after a rebound had fallen kindly to him, and, from the resulting corner, Bazunu also kept the deficit at one, with a good diving stop to keep out Jan Paul van Hecke’s header across goal.
A triple change followed from Still, with Downs, Ryan Manning and youngster Moses Sesay making way for Ronnie Edwards, Welington and Robinson, as Saints changed to three at the back.
Saints then fell two goals behind with almost a carbon copy of the first goal, as Minteh again got on the ball just inside the area and sent a low shot through the legs of Quarshie, past Bazunu and into the far corner.
But they were quickly back in the game when Robinson cut onto his right foot 18 yards out and hit a shot that deflected off a defender and spun inside the far post to make it 2-1 on 69 minutes.
Jack Stephens congratulates Jay Robinson on his goal (Photo: Matt Watson)
And, quick as a flash, Saints were then level, as Armstrong slotted home from the penalty spot after referee James Linnington had spotted a handball from a Brighton header following a corner.
Still’s side almost completed a remarkable turnaround moments later when Charles was picked out by a cross, but his clever header back across goal bounced off the inside of the post before Brighton scrambled to get control of the ball.
The hosts continued to finish the game on the front foot, but were unable to find a winner. Nonetheless, the day ended in a feeling of positivity as the pre-season schedule came to a close.
Next for Saints, it’s the Championship kick-off as they say a welcome to Wrexham, at St Mary’s, in a week’s time.
Southampton: Bazunu, Bree (Sugawara 54), Stephens (captain), Quarshie, Manning (Welington 63), Charles (Bragg 90+1), Sesay (Robinson 63), Fraser, Archer, Downs (Edwards 63), Armstrong (Akachukwu 80’).
Unused substitutes: McCarthy, Moody, Wood, Armitage, Lawrence, Stewart.
Goals: Robinson (69’), Armstrong (73’ pen)
Brighton: Steele, Wieffer (Tasker 86), van Hecke, Dunk (captain) (Penman 86), De Cuyper (Slater 86), Gomez (Moran 79), Atari, Minteh (Howell 65), O’Riley, Rutter (Sima 79), Mitoma (Oriola 79).
Unused substitutes: Ramming, Nti, Doyle, Albarus, Atom.
Goals: Minteh (25’, 65’)
Referee: James Linnington
