"I am delighted for Marian who got better the longer the game went on. He looked stronger and sharper and got a couple of good goals and could have had more. He worked hard all night and deserved his goals. The first was typical Marian, cutting in and bending the ball into the far corner and he got himself into a good position to score the stopping header."
Pahars looked to have rediscovered some of his lost pace and showed the required desire to force his way back into the squad. Despite being fit for the last couple of weeks, he is still short of match fitness and ominously missed out even on a place on the bench against Crewe.
Staplewood was cold and wet last night, the kind of conditions in which it is easy to pick up an injury, but despite attention from the physio after being winded, he came through the 90 minutes well, getting more confident as the game went on.
Of course the reserves are a long way from the first team, but as the cliché goes, you can only beat what is in front of you. With Burley still struggling to find the right personnel up front and in midfield Marian Pahars surely has to be worth another try. A fully fit Pahars would have the makings of a decent little and large partnership with Rasiak and should provide Saints with the goals we have been lacking this season.
However, after so many false dawns in 3 injury plagued seasons, talk of such combinations is more in hope than expectation. For all the talk of Saints writing off this season, Pahars has to make an impression right now if he is to continue his Saints career when at 29 he should be in his prime.
Last night was a good start. We hope the end of this season is not the finish.
The other goals were a penalty by Dexter Blackstock which he won himself and a powerful strike from 20 yards by the ever improving youngster Condesso.