SAINTS boss Steve Wigley believes he must be cursed after yet more bad luck over the weekend.

His injury-decimated squad were just two minutes away from picking up a point at third-placed Everton before Leon Osman sentenced them to their sixth defeat in nine league games.

Wigley had travelled to Merseyside already minus first-choice strike pair James Beattie and Kevin Phillips through injury, plus back-up forward Peter Crouch.

And with Claus Lundekvam forced to drop out on the day of the game through illness, that left the head coach without his entire first-choice back four - Michael Svensson, Graeme Le Saux and Jason Dodd were also already injured.

Wigley then came off the Goodison Park pitch to learn that striker Brett Ormerod picked up a calf injury playing for Leeds which will leave an anxious wait to see if he is fit when he returns from his loan spell next week.

Kevin Phillips is already a major doubt for next weekend's St Mary's clash with Birmingham.

And it may again be up to teenage strike duo Leon Best and Dexter Blackstock - whose combined age, 36, is the same as Graeme Le Saux's (he celebrated his latest birthday yesterday) - to lead the attack in what even skipper Andreas Jakobbson has referred to as a 'must-win' encounter.

Wigley, who has picked up only two points out of 21 since being placed in charge, said: "They're the youngest pairing in the club's history and they did well in the first half.

"They both ran out of steam a little bit in the second half and we replaced one of them, but we're short on strikers.

"Brett Ormerod has just picked up an injury at Leeds as well so there's a slight curse on our frontmen at the minute.

"We went close to getting a point but we're not having any luck."

"We had a lot of people out and unfortunately Claus Lundekvam picked up a bug but the players went out there competing and worked very very hard.

"There was a bit of anxiety come into our game in the second half and that disappointed me because we didn't pass the ball as well."

Wigley admitted the players were "gutted" after conceding a goal so late on but is hoping he can lift them by the time Birmingham, who like Saints have only won once in nine league games this season, visit on Sunday.

"If you concede a goal with two minutes to go, no matter where you are playing, you'd be very disappointed," said Wigley.

"To get done by a throw-in when the ball's just bouncing about in the box ... the players are very disappointed, as I am.

"My job now is to pick them up and prepare for the next game.

"Everton are enjoying a run of fortune as well but they are very committed and you make your own luck.

"David Moyes last year was on the wrong end of some results but this season they have come out of the traps and are a very powerful team.

"It was cruel in the last couple of minutes but when you're on a run of results one way or the other these things tend to happen in football.

"I'd have gladly gone home with a point in the second half. We were in the game and I didn't feel there was that many problems. At that stage a point would have been well earned."