Strachan hails his no-frills Saints

Southampton 3 Charlton 2

Strachan told his men to cut the frills from their game and get back to basics. They responded by scoring twice in the Carling Cup on Tuesday to see off south-coast rivals Portsmouth and firing a treble yesterday to claim a dramatic 3-2 victory against Charlton.

In a contest which certainly exceeded its negative billing, the contestants served up a cracker. Saints threw away a two-goal lead before a late rally in which Brett Ormerod bagged the winner four minutes from time.