Can we get this backing every week?

Walsall blogger Mark Jones' only enjoyment from Southampton was the fantastic away support - backing hoped to be seen again at the Banks's this weekend.

I have waited the best part of a week to put down some thoughts following the Southampton game and I've tried really really hard to be constructive. But it is really really difficult.

I could mention that Southampton are a very good side, but we knew that back in December anyway, something confirmed by their thumping of play-off chasing Huddersfield but at least we scored!

Saints tore into us right from the moment they collected Matt Richards's superb free kick out of the back of their net. It was men against boys. Big, tough men against very timid, little boys.

I would point out that in real terms the recent abysmal defeats to Yeovil and Oldham are far more concerning as indicators of where the team is at, and where it is going, right now. But that's just more depressing.

Following on from last week's moan, at least the players and management came to applaud the fantastic travelling support, with striker Troy Deeney going the extra mile and putting his shirt into the away end.

I know cause it was my mate's son who ended up with it and the car was filled with Odour Deeney all the way back up the M40! It was a pretty decent gesture though and, as they're now on special offer, he'll only be docked around £20 from his wages for the replacement.

Joking aside, if there is anything to take from the day out on the South Coast it was our fans. It's true that many were there because it was our St Mary's debut and there were plenty of faces I hadn't seen for a while, some I might not see for some time longer.

But we were all there to support the team, our team. We all want to have something to believe in. But right at this moment I'm not sure there's too much to go on.

Which in a roundabout way brings me onto thinking about the future, and in particular what next season's team will look like. It has been reported that manager Chris Hutchings prefers to give out two-year deals, which is fine except there are a few individuals we could do with moving on, along with a few on one-year deals we could do with hanging on to.

The 2010/11 squad? It's anyone's guess. What next year's crowds will look like is anybody's guess too. Which is why I've been surprised that the Early Bird literature doesn't seem to reflect the initiatives discussed at recent Focus Group meetings.

For example, the idea of unreserved seating to encourage people to sit in the Lower Gilbert seems to have been shelved before it even started. So, on reflection, I haven't got much constructive to say and it's about time somebody did something to change all that, but I'm not exactly holding my breath.

Credit to the club where it's due though. I'm fairly certain we were one of the first to let in members of the Armed Forces for free a couple of years back. The fixture against Millwall has a Help For Heroes theme, which to me is a pretty worthy cause, so there will be something worth supporting at the Banks's Stadium this Saturday.