Mark Wotte looks set to stick with David McGoldrick and Marek Saganowski up front in a 4-4-2 formation after the head coach’s half time switch inspired a stirring comeback for a 2-2 draw at Norwich.
Saints trailed 2-0 at half time in Wotte’s first game since taking over from Jan Poortvliet with Saganowski on the bench as the team started in a 4-1-4-1 formation.
But the half time switch totally changed the match and Saints fought back with a first goal from Kayne McLaggon and another from Saganowski to grab a valuable point in a 2-2 draw.
Wotte said: “It was a very difficult decision for me not to put Marek in the team.
“When we decided to play the formation with David McGoldrick at the front I said to David it was a close call because Marek played well against Doncaster and scored a good goal but I gave David the benefit of the doubt because he’s quicker on the break.
“Together they played excellent so I don’t have a difficult choice for the next match.”
Wotte believed Saints were good value for their point and it now gives them something to build on for tough back-to-back home games with Swansea and Sheffield United.
“We got a point out of it and I think it was deserved,” added Wotte.
“I praised the boys for their attitude and mentality and the dressing room after the game was totally different than at half time and that made me happy.
“The first half we were maybe thinking a bit too defensively.
“We played a 4-1-4-1 system when we didn’t have the ball which I think suited Norwich well because they played with wide players inside.
“I thought we were quite comfortable in the first 30-35 minutes and then suddenly it was 1-0 then 2-0 and it was a big blow for the boys.
“In possession we didn’t do a good job on the break, we lost the ball too easily and David McGoldrick was not very well supported by Ryan Smith and Lee Holmes.
“But 2-0 was a hammer and at half time everybody was very down and we had already spoken before the game that if we needed a goal we would put on Marek Saganowski and play with two strikers up front.
“When I took that decision we only had to talk about the mental side about things at half time because the boys were really down.
“I told the boys to keep fighting, keep a clean sheet, to score the first goal and keep challenging for the second goal.
“We brought on Jason Euell and we made it 2-2 with a great cross from Lloyd and a header from Marek.
Kayne McLaggon scored a good goal and showed his freshness.
“He was always a threat and I have seen him play a lot for the under-18s and the reserve team so I know his quality but to do it there is a big thing for us.”
In all the talk of formations Wotte admitted he backed Poortvliet’s previous system but said he felt things needed to change for the team to improve.
“I always backed Jan with the 4-3-3 system and I loved the way we played and we played very good matches with this system.
“It’s my right to change something because if you do what you did then you get what you got and that’s not a lot of points.
“We have to be flexible to sometimes surprise some teams or be a bit strong defensively.
“The 4-3-3 system is a good system but there are other systems which are good and I’m not naïve or a fool.
“It’s not a criticism to Jan. I backed the 4-3-3 and I loved the way they played it but sometimes you need to change it to get some results.”
The bad news for Saints was an injury to Lee Holmes who limped off injured on 27 minutes with a recurrence of the knee problem that sidelined him earlier in the season.
“It didn’t look good or in the game before the injury as he had some pain in the same knee so he will maybe be out for a few weeks,” said Wotte.
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