Following last Saturday’s dire capitulation against Sunderland, few of those intending to undertake this week’s trips to Southend and Southampton can have truthfully state that they were relishing the prospect – a gruelling 972 miles in total with a brace of defeats seeming the likeliest outcome.

Instead, a splendid victory and a resilient draw have seen the Tigers harvest four points, climb two places, greatly ease the pressure on Phil Parkinson and give us hope that we can still clamber out of danger.

Without the services of the suspended duo of Danny Mills and Ian Ashbee, the manager brought in the fully healed Danny Coles and Preston loanee in a replica of the 4-5-1 formation that succeeded at Southend. With Andy Dawson given captain’s armband, the Tigers lined up on a fresh South coast afternoon thus: Myhill; Ricketts, Coles, Turner, Dawson; Fagan, Marney, Jarrett, Delaney, Elliott; Parkin. The home side had Bradley Wright-Phillips and Welsh international Gareth Bale in their side as they went in pursuit of a victory that would take them to the edges of the play-off positions.

There was a good atmosphere in the ground at kick-off, with the home supporters to the right of the travelling Tiger Nation in hearty voice and the travelling City fans perfectly prepared to return the favour. City kicked off attacking their own fans in the Northam Stand, and it quickly became apparent that Phil Parkinson had instructed his side to keep the opening part of the game as tight as possible, doubtless recalling the nightmare starts at Burnley and Preston.

With Parkin up front on his own, Jarrett and Delaney playing close to the back four and only Marney prepared to spring forward from the central midfield, it meant that City usually had at least six players solidly behind the ball at the outset of every Southampton attack. It didn’t entirely restrict Southampton chances, as a Bale free-kick that whizzed menacingly between our defence and keeper demonstrated, but it was subduing their midfield play and their preference for playing through the middle did them few favours.

With the opening minutes of the game safely negotiated, City’s ambition increased a notch, with Parkin attempting to volley home after an Elliott knock-down, although his shot spun well over. Craig Fagan did put the ball into the net, though he had earlier been penalised for off-side – a very close call that could easily have gone the other way.

Next came Dean Marney, who burst thrillingly from midfield and raced past four leaden-footed Saints towards Kelvin Davis’ goal. With only one man remaining before a clear shot on goal, he was dispossessed – just – and the chance for a fantastic first goal for City was lost. Nonetheless, a tantalising glimpse of class from our record signing.

Forward came City again, looking genuinely impressive on the break. Parkin fastened onto a high ball in the area, skipped into a yard of space and sent a low left-footed shot scudding goalwards. It beat Kelvin Davis and seemed certain to give City the lead, but Gareth Bale was covering and diverted the ball to safety.

Another wicked cross went fizzing untouched through our six-yard box, this Licka being the unfortunate chance-creator. However, City were now comfortably containing their Premiership-aspiring hosts, and a Gareth Bale free kick that drifted wide was their final opportunity of the half to convert possession and territorial advantage into a lead.

City trotted out the for the second half without any changes, while Southampton had evidently had a few severe words from manager George Burley as they flew into the Tigers straight from the kick-off. Skacel, a player whose final product rarely matched his neat approach play, nearly gave the home side the lead just two minutes into the half but his shot was scuffed wide.

Parkin had another effort, again after tidy work by the industrious and disciplined Elliott, but the pattern of the game was very much against City. However, the home fans were now mostly becalmed and belief was draining from their players as it increased in ours. Skacel fluffed another opportunity after excellent work by the unusually quiet Idiakez.

However, it was all Southampton now. Marney withdrew himself further to protect the defence, while Elliott and Fagan’s forays forward were largely sacrificed to lend greater assistance to their full-backs. Perhaps not what you make a 500 mile round trip to see, but desperate times require pragmatic responses, and as the din in the away end grew there was little doubt that this policy had the blessing of those who had levered themselves out of bed at the crack of dawn to travel south.

Idiakez curled a shot over the bar, though not by much, before Fagan smacked a presentable shooting chance well over. Back came the Saints, whose second half intentions of spreading the ball more to the flanks to isolate our full-backs had been anticipated and pre-emptively countered by Phil Parkinson’s decision to station our wingers further back. In this regard, Elliott was particularly impressive – defending does not come naturally to St Stuart, but he applied himself to the task with commendable vigour.

Bale hit the outside of Myhill’s post with a curling free-kick from just outside the area, with the City keeper seemingly beaten. Skacel again let himself down with a badly skewed effort after a heart-stopping run through the defence, while Dawson was extremely lucky not to be given a second caution after an untidy lunge at lively substitute Nathan Dyer.

It was desperate stuff now, the controlled repelling of intrusions replaced by some slightly panic-stricken defending. With ten minutes remaining, Welsh trotted on for Marne, who has had a very good week after his, ahem, indifferent start to life in Hull. And City nearly stole the game with five minutes left when Elliott send a dipping free-kick onto the roof of Davis’ net.

Back came Southampton for one final charge. Up went the volume in the away end, the Tiger Nation collectively standing and urging one last period of resistance. Frayed became tempers among the respective club officials when Fagan infuriatingly (for them) tapping away a ball that had already gone out of play and then bounded through the Southampton technical area. It caused a brief stoppage as Phil Parkinson sprang to the defence of his players, despite having been warned at least twice for stepping outside the permitted zone and encroaching onto the pitch.

It was all rather infantile squabbling and the referee sensibly elected not to punish the small cluster of protagonists, but merely stopped his watch and waited for calm to break out. It did, but it had the useful effect of chopping into the Saints’ momentum while allowing the City players a brief moment to fill their lungs ahead of the four minutes of injury time.

This nearly produced the winner when a Skacel corner was headed goalwards by Jones, but Dawson hacked the ball to safety. There was no more time for Southampton, and City successfully took a point back to East Yorkshire.

As noted earlier, it does seem a trifle curious to devote a whole day, no little amount of cash and several hundred miles of travel to applaud the side for contributing to a goalless draw. However, it has also been observed that the primary desire of a football fan is to see his team play with spirit.

No-one can contest that the side has played without passion this week. Four points from two long-distance games is a very respectable haul. It does keep us in the relegation zone and a point further behind after Barnsley’s victory over the ailing White Shite. However, it has very usefully restored hope that the season may not end in disaster. Phil Parkinson’s job is probably not under any immediate threat– however forcefully Adam Pearson has insisted that it never was, the constant speculation over his future cannot be easy.

We are still in a parlous position, of course. Relegation is not avoided by getting nil-nil draws at Southampton, but it is by accumulating points at home. We now have two home fixtures in succession this month, both of which we can realistically hope to get something out of. Let us keenly hope that the good work done on the road this week provides the foundations for a sustained recovery, starting at home to Wolves next week. (AD)