ONE SWALLOW?

This is last evening`s edition of the Football Pink, lovingly produced by the Southern Daily Echo for the good folk who follow the (mis)fortunes of Southampton Football Club. These days, the chosen hue is not so much pink as a kind of blushing, embarrassed red. No matter. As you can see, the Pink was proudly proclaiming Saints` first victory of the new season, which has been received with as much jubilation on the south coast as any of our recent Olympic successes.

And it`s not just the local paper that has seemingly gone overboard at yesterday`s 1-0 victory away at Derby County. Saints-related websites and especially the internet message boards have suddenly been transformed from agencies for the Samaritans into homes for the easily pleased and the terminally optimistic.

Now, I have hesitated to post anything about my beloved Saints for some time, such has been my disillusionment with the state of the club, the chancers inhabiting the boardroom and the continuing employment of two malcontents, one of whose case comes before the Portsmouth Crown Court in the near future following alleged thefts from the staff room of a Southsea nightspot. And I`m not really going to start posting much now, which would be unfair since I have yet to see Jan Poortvliet`s team in action.

However, by all accounts, Saints have been playing very well. They suffered a last minute defeat away at Cardiff in the first game of the season and last week apparently outplayed recently relegated Birmingham City for much of the game until the young Saints team, eight of whom are under 22, ran out of legs towards the end and went down 2-1 at St. Mary`s.

Yesterday, the narrow win at Derby came as just reward for an encouraging display and hauled Saints away from their spiritual home in the Championship relegation zone. So far, so good. But hang on a second. Derby County have not won a league game in their last 35 attempts and even ardent Rams fans are admitting that their team is `pants` - which might be unkind to the reputation of underwear.

Derby defend a high ball

So, the three points are most welcome, but it`s hardly enough to unleash the wild assertion currently clogging up the message boards that `we will walk this league.` I may yet be proved to have been wrong in my suspicion that the dubious talents of Chairman Rupert Lowe would only bring yet more gloom to lifelong supporters like myself - indeed, I hope I was wrong - but I just advise caution that the one swallow at Pride Park yesterday will herald a long hot summer. Besides which, you never win anything with kids, do you?