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Key wins for bottom dwellars Southampton, Charlton move away from relegation
Posted: Saturday May 08, 1999 04:52 PM
LONDON (AP) -- Matt Le Tissier came on as a 70th-minute substitute Saturday to score one goal and set up another as Southampton beat Wimbledon 2-0 and edged further away from the relegation zone. At Villa Park, Charlton grabbed the lead and then lost it three times before Danny Mills fired the clincher in the last minute as Athletic defeted Aston Villa 4-3 to edge ahead of Blackburn, which lost 2-1 to Nottingham Forest. Going into the weekend games, Southampton was No. 17 in the standings -- just outside the drop zone two points ahead of Rovers and Athletic, which shared next-to-last place. Last-place Forest had already guaranteed its drop from the top-flight. Blackburn, Premier League champions in 1995, now has to beat highflying Manchester United and Newcastle in its last two games and rely on other results to avoid joining Forest in Division One. At Selhurst Park, Le Tissier was being hailed as a champion. The midfielder wasn't considered fit enough to start the game but his impact in the final 20 minutes was instrumental in the Saints' survival fight. Within two minutes of entering the game, Le Tissier sent a cross to James Beattie who glanced a header into the net to break a 72nd-minute 0-0 deadlock. In the 84th minute, Le Tissier took a corner on the left-side and drilled a curling kick into the net to snatch the winner. "When you've got someone of his quality in your side you always know you can do it," said Saints' coach Dave Jones. "But we've still got to win our last game and a draw is no good," he said. "It's down to ourselves and Charlton [to avoid relegation] so we have to win that last game." Southampton plays against in-form Everton at the Dell on May 16. In Birmingham, Charton had to wait until the last minute to break a deadlock with fifth-place Aston Villa. Athletic looked to have squadered its winning chances until the final 60 seconds when Villa defender Steve Watson impeded Martin Pringle in the area and was sent off. The resulting free kick was sent to Mills, who drove a shot past the diving Michael Oakes and into the top of the net. Charlton manager Alan Curbishley said he had heard about Southampton's win at Wimbledon and thouht his team had let its chance slip. "I was beginning to wonder if things were starting to slip away from us, but we have given ourselves a chance after most people before the start of the season predicted that we would be relegated by Christmas," he said. "Now the pressure is firm on Southampton...we've got to win, that's all we can do." At Goodison Park, Everton's revival since Kevin Campbell joined the Mersysiders on loan from Turkish club Trabzonspor continued with a 6-0 thrashing of West Ham. Campbell notched his 9th goal in five games for Everton with three goals against the Hammers. In the other Premier League games Saturday, Leicester extended its unbeated run to five games with a 2-0 win over Newcastle, Sheffield Wednesday edged Liverpool 1-0, while Derby and Conventry played to a 0-0 tie. No Division One matches were played Saturday but Division Two champions Fulham continued to impress with a 3-0 win over play-off contenders Preston North End at Craven Cottage. In the Scottish Premier Division Saturday, Celtic recovered from last Sunday's "Old Firm" derby loss to Rangers to beat last-place Dunfermline 2-1. During the match, Celtic striker Mark Viduka was sent off for misconduct, reportedly for spitting. The result virtually ensured Dunfermline's relegation next season. In other Scottish games, Dundee defeated Aberdeen 2-1, Dundee United played to a 0-0 tie with Kilmarnock, while St. Johnstone and Motherwell also tied 0-0. In the weekend's major game, Manchester United has the chance to move level with defending titlist Arsenal at the top of the standings with a win over Middlesbrough at Riverside. United, undefeated in 28 games, slumped behind the Gunners in the premiership race after a 2-2 tie with Liverpool last Sunday. Arsenal leads the championship with 75 points, followed by Manchester United on 72 points and Chelsea one point further behind. It was a 6-1 win over Middlesbrough which allowed Arsenal to overhaul United and clinch No. 1 spot in the standings two weeks ago. Although United's treble title chase is still on track, with finals berths already booked in the FA Cup, against Newcastle on May 22, and the European Champions Cup, against Bayern Munich at Barcelona on May 26. After Middlesbrough, United closes its season with games agaist Blackburn on Wednesday and at home against Tottenham Hotspur on May 16. Arsenal takes on fourth-place Leeds at Elland Road on Tuesday and then Aston Villa in the season finale on May 16. Also Sunday, promotion-seeking Bradford travels to Wolverhampton and Ipswich hosts Sheffield Unied as a full round of Division One games is played. Chelsea, which secured No. 3 spot in the Premier League with its win over Leeds last Sunday -- it's highest finish in the top flight since 1970 -- keeps its mathmatical chances of a championship alive against Tottenham at White Hart Lane on Monday. At the bottom end of the league competitions, goalkeeper Jimmy Glass converted a penalty goal in the final minutes Saturday as Carlisle edged Plymouth 2-1 to avoid the drop from the national league. But Glass' goal means Scarborough, which tied 1-1 with Peterborough, finished last in Division Three and loses its spot in the national league.
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