Extended player ratings: Saints 0 Burnley 1

Last updated : 20 April 2008 By Saint Bobby
Starting line-up

R Wright - 7:
Had little to do. His one excellent save led to the fatal corner kick. Was swift off his line when Surman was exposed in the second half. Clearly too good for this division and obviously way too good (and expensive) for League One.

J Wright - 6:
Relatively okay defensively, but his crosses were all speculative and one laughable attempted through ball in the second half must have ended up 40 yards away from any team mate.

C Perry - 6: Generally on top of things, but his careless handball led to the Burnley goal.

C Lucketti - 6: Strong, but more accident prone than previously. Age may be catching up with him.

A Surman - 6.5: Vignal may not be fit - as he didn't make the bench - and Drew does not have the defensive awareness to be a wing-back. Unsurprisingly, he was good going forward but that's why he's best played in midfield.

J Euell - 7: Worked hard for the whole match but still allowed one or two unforced errors to creep in.

Y Safri - 8: Man of the match. Controlled midfield and showed bite in the tackle. His last gasp effort might show he should try his luck more from outside the box - particularly if the forwards are misfiring.

I Idiakez - 7: Some glimpses of flair and creativity, but doesn't seem to be able to play the killer ball. Was guilty of dallying on several occasions.

M Licka - 6: Ran around a lot and his corners do at beat the first defender, but he doesn't show a great deal of variation in his play.

B Wright-Phillips - 5: Flattered to deceive. Doesn't look like he can finish and he was on a totally different wavelength to Stern John.

S John - 5: Possibly his worst performance in a Saints shirt. Still holds up the ball well, but was too static, didn't create space and fell over too much

Substitutes

N Dyer (on for Licka, 64 mins) - 6: Electric pace, but doesn't obviously have much else to his armoury.

J Viafara (on for Idiakez, 79 mins) - 5: Limited involvement in the game and not obviously the creative force that is needed in the last ten minutes.

M Saganowski - 5: Anonymous. Barely had a touch.

Manager

Pearson - 6: Not wholly obvious what else he could have done, but failed to prevent complacency creeping in and, if anything, his substitutions led to a less penetrating attacking display.