JIM Smith admitted Saints "got away with it" despite only managing a goalless draw at home to Charlton yesterday.

"One point was about all we deserved," said the assistant manager following his first game in the home St Mary's dugout.

"It was a difficult game, a difficult performance. Obviously the boys are lacking confidence to really go and express themselves - we got away with it.

"The first 20 minutes we could have been two or three down.

"The biggest factor is confidence. You can see that some of them are frightened to play."

On a positive note, it was Saints' first clean sheet for two months, although they rode their luck early on.

There was again little creativity in attack, although they did look marginally more dangerous towards the end of what was a pretty dreadful second-half.

"We showed a little bit of character and battled away and could have got something right at the end," said Smith.

"They can play - they've proved that they can play because a year ago they were fourth in the league.

"We've obviously got to instil that confidence in them but, at the end of the day, it's results that gets that confidence or new faces, and that will be the avenue we have to go down."

Smith knows that he and manager Harry Redknapp are facing a huge challenge. "That's why we are here," he said.

"We wouldn't be here if we were top of the league and winning every game.

"We are here to get them out of the mire. A point is important, although obviously the three points would have been better with two difficult away games coming up."

Saints have now won just once in their past 17 league games and remain entrenched in the Premier-ship's relegation zone - though they have now drawn level with third-from-bottom Crystal Palace on 14 points at the halfway stage of the 2004/05 season.

Yesterday did, however, see the long-awaited return from injury of midfielder Matt Oakley, who played for an hour after being out for 15 months with a knee injury.