Southampton survive on scraps as lean spell bites

Southampton - 0 Birmingham - 0: Before long someone will start doing a roaring trade in T-shirts proclaiming "I saw Southampton score". This stalemate means Steve Wigley's team have gone four games without a goal and still await their first league win under his stewardship.

They rarely threatened to end either record yesterday and will draw little comfort from clambering off the bottom of the table when they remain in the relegation zone.

Wigley's team at least ended with a point, by no means a certainty during a second-half dominated by Birmingham City. It required a fine Antti Niemi save and a couple of poor finishes by the visitors to guarantee the draw. Southampton manufactured only one clear chance from open play, at the end of the first half, though they did hit the bar from a long throw early on.

The end was greeted with mild boos and this was not the confidence boost Southampton needed as they approach a month of reckoning. After next weekend's game at Arsenal, they face successive league games against West Bromwich (h), Portsmouth (h), Norwich (a) and Crystal Palace (h). November could go some way to deciding their fate.

Southampton can find positives, notably in the players' enthusiasm and that they are not conceding many goals. They will trust that victories will come on the return of James Beattie and Kevin Phillips, who were again missed. Phillips ought to be in contention for the trip to Highbury, according to Wigley, but Beattie will be out at least until the following weekend.

The scoreline was hardly a shock, however, given that Birmingham are also short of goals without Mikael Forssell and had drawn their previous four league matches.

David Dunn put a good chance over and Darren Anderton, having wasted one opening, allowed Niemi to save well following a poor clearance by Jelle van Damme.

Southampton had been the better team in the first half. There were passages of neat football but little end product, the best chance falling to Mikael Nilsson from Fernandes' pass. He went past the oncoming Maik Taylor but hit the side-netting when he ought to have scored. Nervous of losing seems to be holding back some of their attacking play. And so the wait for a goal goes on.

It is 397 Premiership minutes and counting.