THIS TIME last season Saints were in the Premiership relegation zone.

They had only picked up seven points from eight matches, winning just once in the process.

Striker James Beattie hadn't managed to score a single goal and boss Gordon Strachan was considering leaving him out for his own good.

Supporters probably thought another relegation battle, similar to one played out often in the 1990s, was on the cards.

Fast forward a year, starting with the 2-0 win over Manchester City on October 5 2002 which kickstarted Saints' recovery, and the difference is remarkable.

Rather than looking at the bottom of the league table, Saints fans have now got used to starting at the top and working their way down. And that's not even taking into account the FA Cup Final odyssey.

A Premiership best fourth before last weekend's first loss of the season, Saints are still sixth even after losing to Boro at St Mary's.

Beattie, meanwhile, has not looked back either.

After failing to score in his first NINE league games of 2002/03, he fired 23 goals in his next 29 league outings to help Saints to a best-ever Premiership finish of eighth and has six in seven games this season.

Such form - 29 goals in 36 outings at an average of 0.8 goals per game - has catapulted him into the England squad.

It has also raised understandable fears of how Saints would fare if Beattie, who didn't miss a league match at all last season, was injured or suspended.

It's amazing how football works. Nowadays the Daily Echo gets letters from Saints fans expressing disbelief that Sven-Goran Eriksson (who will be watching Beattie live at St James' Park tomorrow) can leave him out in favour of the likes of Emile Heskey; 12 months ago those same supporters probably wouldn't have complained had Strachan dropped him.

Speaking in the Daily Echo a year ago today, the Saints boss said: "Ideally we would have been able to take Beattie out and then put him back in again because he's not been at his best and is having a bit of a hard time. If Agustin (Delgado) had been fit he would have been there.

"James could probably have done with a rest four games ago, but we needed height up front."

Last season's early October table also showed just how important it is not to get carried away with a good start.

Saints fans already dreaming of a top six finish will do well to remember that Middlesbrough were third this time 12 months ago and Spurs weren't far behind.

Yes, the same two teams who went into last weekend's matches with the two worst Premiership record based on results from January 1 this year to the present day!

Though a lot has changed at Saints in the past 12 months - from performances, expectations and European nights at St Mary's to increased income - one thing remains constant ... Delgado is still injured.