No sooner had the final whistle gone than Matthew Le Tissier rushed off in a taxi bound for Gatwick, presumably to fly home to the Channel Islands for the weekend. Southampton fans had every right to wonder why he took a plane when the man can walk on water.
Not for the first, nor presumably the last, the club's one player of genius rose to the occasion. Le Tissier's niggling groin strain stopped him starting this game, so manager Dave Jones stuck him on the bench for a match Southampton desperately needed to win.
After 70 minutes, with the score still 0-0, on he came. Two minutes later he set up Southampton's first goal and six minutes from time he scored the second, audaciously, straight from a corner.
The biggest threat to Southampton's Premiership safety now is complacency. Their 10,000 travelling fans danced and sang at the end as if another season in the top flight had already been secured. However, the best one can say is that Southampton are in the driving seat.
A victory over Everton at the Dell next Sunday will ensure their safety, no matter what Charlton and Blackburn do. A draw will suffice if the other two fail to take maximum points from their remaining games. Southampton could even lose and stay up provided Charlton also lose their final match and Blackburn take no more than four points from their two remaining games. The outlook is promising: the backbone of Southampton's disjointed season has been their home form and Everton may be less focused on securing the three points now they are guaranteed Premiership safety. Jones, a former Everton player, certainly hopes so.
On top of that, Le Tissier is confident of being fully recovered for a game which carries huge implications for this small south-coast club.
Last Friday Southampton were finally granted planning permission for a £30 million, 32,000-seat stadium, scheduled to be ready for the start of the 2000-01 season.
It is a project which Southampton, currently restricted to 15,000 crowds at the Dell, desperately need to complete to maximise their income. These plans will be jeopardised if they fall off the Premiership gravy train and end up travelling Nationwide second class.
"I'm quite broad-shouldered, but £st30 million on my shoulders is an awful lot," said Jones. "You don't have to tell me what's riding on the Everton game."
With some of their more experienced players returning from injury, Southampton have put together a neat little run of results when it matters. Southampton went to Wimbledon knowing a second away win of the season was required. Saints' keeper Paul Jones returned from injury to pull off two stunning early saves from Carl Cort and Robbie Earle, and Southampton built from there.
Marian Pahars had a goal disallowed for offside, then saw another effort scrambled off the line. David Hughes missed a sitter before Le Tissier entered the stage and scored twice.
At the other end, Jones made another fine save to deny Mark Kennedy, while John Hartson fired wired from close range. But Southampton wanted a second and after Pahars and Kachloul had gone close, Le Tissier struck again. Having already spotted that Wimbledon were leaving the near post unmarked, he fired a powerful corner in that direction which eluded everybody and everything except the back of the net.
Even Jones was moved to smile. His deadpan face has provided a fitting backdrop to Southampton's calamitous season. Now he looks like having the last laugh.
Wimbledon: Sullivan, Cunningham, Kimble, Perry, Blackwell, Earle, Roberts, Leaburn, Kennedy, Cort, Hartson. Subs Not Used: Hughes, Heald, Jupp, Francis, Agyemang. Booked: Roberts.
Southampton: Jones, Dodd, Marsden (Beresford 76), Lundekvam, Monkou, M. Hughes, Benali, Beattie, D. Hughes (Le Tissier 70), Kachloul (Hiley 86), Pahars. Subs Not Used: Ostenstad, Moss. Booked: Marsden. Goals: Beattie 72, Le Tissier 84.
Referee: S Dunn (Bristol).
