Team News From The Southampton Camp

Last updated : 27 September 2009 By Thetashkentterror

Jacob Mellis
Saints midfielder Jacob Mellis spoke to the official Southampton website about his side's match against Carlisle at Brunton Park tomorrow, Mellis, like United's Tom Taiwo, spending a spell away on loan from parent club Chelsea at the moment :


"I'll have to watch out for Tom Taiwo, Tom's tenacious so I'll be watching my ankles! I've played alongside him for two seasons in the reserves and it's good that we're both getting a chance on loan now.

"Carlisle may not have the best ground, but the gaffer (Alan Pardew) has said that the pitch is good, so we're looking to go there and play some good football. They'll be up for it, and their fans will turn out in force. It will be my first time playing there but it should be a good game.

"The fans have been great to us for the last few weeks especially at Charlton last time out. I felt we should have won the game for the supporters on that occasion. We've been saying for weeks that the first win could be a turning point and now that we've got the first win we just want to keep going.

"We've assembled a great squad here and we just need to start winning a few more games now. It is a talented squad with some young players mixed in with experience so it's good all round.

"I wasn't in the team last week but Alan Pardew gives me the belief that if I work hard then I'll be in the team. The team is worthy of being in a higher position but right now we're not there. However, everyone's been buzzing after the win last week and we couldn't wait to get back into training, and now we're looking forward to Carlisle.

"Here, we are getting games on Saturday and then Tuesday and that's always what you want as a footballer. Especially when you're winning, you just want the next game to come so I can't wait for Saturday.

"Every team we face this season will make it a physical battle to deal with, but we've just got to match that and then let our football take over. Everyone is mentally ready for that challenge now too. We're on a level playing field so we've got to dig in and we've got to do that again on Saturday."



In team news for the Saints tomorrow centre-half Wayne Thomas will miss the game with an ankle injury. Definitely out as well is right-back Graeme Murty who is still on crutches after suffering a knee ligament injury at the end of August, Murty sidelined along with pacey winger Kayne McLaggon who is out after rupturing his Achilles tendon during a training session way back in February.

In better news for Southampton though left-winger Lee Holmes is set to return to the squad after missing a large part of pre-season training with a niggling groin problem. We're soon back on the wrong side of the coin however as 20-year old right-sided midfielder Jake Thomson is unavailable as he is currently away on international duty with the Trinidad & Tobago under-20 squad in the 2009 World Cup for that age range.



The referee for tomorrow's match is Graham Salisbury from Preston, and he will be assisted down the lines by Phil Dermott from Cheshire and Tony Peart from Sowerby in North Yorkshire. Meanwhile the fourth official is Tony Harrington from Hartlepool.