STUNG!

The trip to West Brom tomorrow is followed by home games against Arsenal and Spurs either side of a tricky FA Cup replay against Brentford at Griffin Park a week tomorrow.

Saints must negotiate an unwanted midweek trip to west London after Saints threw away a two-goal lead at home for the second time under Redknapp.

In addition, Saints have also lost leads at home to Fulham and Everton since Redknapp took over.

The Saints boss said: "We've got to pick ourselves up, but I'd liked to have got Brentford out of the way, it wasn't the ideal result at all.

"We've got a big week coming up anyway with Arsenal and Tottenham to come after West Brom.

"They're all tough games and I could have done without the replay in between."

Redknapp reckoned Isaiah Rankin's first-half goal was the key to Saints snatching a 2-2 draw from the jaws of victory for the second time in as many games at St Mary's.

He added: "The goal just before half-time changed things, it gave them a lift and we suddenly became edgy. We just didn't play in the second half.

"Goals change attitudes, and the next goal (at 2-0) was always the important one.

"If we went 3-0 up it would have been game over but at 2-1 it was game on.

"It had looked as though they were dead and buried and suddenly we were on the back foot.

"But at 2-0 I thought it could be three or 4-0. We hit the bar, we had loads of good chances, but their first goal changed everything.

"That happens. At Birmingham recently we were 2-0 down at half-time but we got a goal back and they were hanging on for grim life in the end - you wouldn't have believed it was the same team."

Redknapp is likely to revert to a 4-5-1 formation tomorrow for a game which would see Saints move out of the bottom three if they won or sink to the bottom of the table if they lost.

That is after he deployed Henri Camara, Peter Crouch and the fit-again Kevin Phillips as the three strikers in a 4-3-3 formation against Brentford.

"We'll play differently, I took a chance with three strikers, but it was a gamble to play that way and at 2-0 it was working perfectly well, it wasn't a problem," the manager added.

Redknapp will recall son Jamie and the cup-tied Nigel Quashie to bolster the midfield at The Hawthorns. But he will travel to the Midlands wishing that Phillips' injury-time winner in his first game since a month out with injury had not been disallowed.

Camara was in an offside position when Phillips volleyed home from six yards, but Redknapp said: "I've watched it ten times, and Salako played Phillips on side. But it's hard for the linesman, he only has one call. He gave what he saw and it went their way."

The FA Cup quarter-final draw was taking place at lunchtime today.