Beattie expects better service

Blackburn Rovers 1 Southampton

It only requires a hint of an England call-up for a striker's form to dip these days so James Beattie was merely following the trail blazed by Michael Owen et al yesterday. Quiet, innocuous, he looked a rough international diamond in need of polish. But he is in good company.

To be fair to Beattie, who has scored 17 times this season, he had the sort of service that would reduce Ronaldo to Paul Dickov proportions, but as a dress rehearsal run for Australia this week it was not ideal. On this display the Aussie cricket team would fear the English batting line-up more.

Beattie, 24, who was a Blackburn supporter as a boy and who began his career at Ewood Park before being transferred to Southampton in 1998, had only two glimpses of chances and fluffed both and instead of giving Sven Goran Eriksson a nudge, David Thompson became the match winner instead. The Blackburn winger scored after 26 minutes to give his side their first win since 4 January.

"The way James is playing you would have expected more threat with those chances," Gordon Strachan, the Southampton manager said. "But they were honest mistakes. We can handle that." Indeed, so could the Blackburn centre-backs Craig Short and Henning Berg who may not be the fastest things on two legs but are more than happy to trade muscle with young whipper-snappers, no matter how talented.

"Beattie is an old fashioned centre-forward who is right up Craig and Henning's street," Graeme Souness, the Blackburn manager, said. "I thought they were tremendous today." The Blackburn defenders embodied a Blackburn performance that owed more to labour than artistry, although the match began at such a pace it was a surprise that it was decided by a single goal.

Twice in the first six minutes Blackburn's Brad Friedel had to dive to his left to push away shots from Chris Marsden and Fabrice Fernandes while Southampton's Antii Niemi got his body in the way of a close-range header from Thompson and a volley from Berg in the 20th and 21st minutes.

Such a flurry of action suggested a goal was imminent and it arrived after 26 minutes. Keith Gillespie crossed from the right and, as the attention of the Saints' defence was drawn to the attempts to reach the ball by Garry Flitcroft and Andy Cole, Thompson stole in behind them. His low half-volley was not the sweetest ever but it had enough power and direction to skid into the corner of the net.

Michael Svensson clipped the bar with a header after 41 minutes but, with the occasion begging for Beattie's intervention, he failed to deliver. He had received barely a pass from his team-mates worthy of the name so it was fitting that his first chance should come from a canon off Blackburn's Flitcroft after 62 minutes. He was just ahead of Berg but he had to strike on the volley with the ball going away from him and his shot sailed innocuously over the bar.

Beattie had a better opportunity 10 minutes later when he got goal-side of the Blackburn defence. His control was less than perfect, however, and Vratislav Gresko recovered to get in the tackle.

It was not Beattie's day. His night might arrive this week.

Blackburn Rovers 1 Southampton 0
Thompson 26

Half-time: 1-0 Attendance: 24,896