MANAGER Russell Martin insisted “it’s a big clean sheet” in the wake of his side’s late 1-0 win at Millwall on Saturday afternoon.
Saints have scored crucial injury-time goals in their last three away games with Ryan Fraser, who scored a last-gasp winner at Hull last month, sealing the spoils with a 93rd-minute strike.
Martin’s side are now motoring up the Championship table – having also drawn with Preston thanks to Ched Evans’ stoppage-time own goal.
However, they were made to wait for their fifth win in seven, peppering Bartosz Bialkowski’s goal but unable to get past the Pole until the last gasp.
Meanwhile, it was only a second clean sheet of the season for stopper Gavin Bazunu and Saints, following a 1-0 win at Stoke City in October.
Speaking after the match, Martin said: “We’ve limited teams over the last however many weeks to very, very little.
The late show. 👏👏#SaintsFC pic.twitter.com/XBn5X3uZ4c
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“It’s one shot on target again today. Away here, that is no mean feat, so I’m really proud of them. It’s a big clean sheet, they deserve that, the supporters deserve that.
“It was a brilliant energy, brilliant atmosphere, and the players thrived off it, they loved it and enjoyed it. It’s a good win, but a really brilliant, I think, away performance.”
Millwall’s real threat came from corner kick deliveries and crosses into the box, with Wes Harding striking the crossbar with a header from close range in the first half.
“The set-piece was a problem because they’re so big, they have such stature, such size and they’re very good at it,” Martin admitted.
“They make the game hard for you. They brought real aggression and real energy in the first 20 minutes.
“I thought we rode that out quite well and then got control of the game without threatening or creating too much.”
Saints are back in action on Saturday, November 11, as they host West Bromwich Albion with a chance to make it eight matches without defeat heading into the international break.
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