Anders Svensson has been given plenty of jip from manager Gordon Strachan in recent months.

Back in Sweden, playing for Elfsborg in the Allsvenskan, the 25-year-old midfielder was a prolific goalscorer, netting at a commendable ratio of one goal every two games.

But, since his £750,00 transfer last summer, Svensson's scoring haul has been a less than plentiful four goals from 25 starts, including two at Brighton in the Worthington Cup and two at Leicester in the Premiership.

"The manager keeps reminding me how he used to score more goals from midfield when he was playing," admitted Svensson recently.

Well, at last Svensson has something to smile about on the goalscoring front after bagging his first-ever goal at the Friends Provident St Mary's Stadium.

His side-footed effort after 38 minutes secured a draw which Saints will be disappointed about, having dominated most of the second half, 31 minutes of it against the ten-man Teessiders who were depleted by the sending-off of Gianluca Festa.

Ironically, it was Noel Whelan, who has much to thank Gordon Strachan for after signing the promising youngster during his days as Coventry manager, who grabbed the leveller after 56 minutes.

After scoring the goal, Svensson was the first to run over and congratulate striker Brett Ormerod who had laid the chance on a plate.

Ormerod is adjusting to life in the Premiership very nicely, thank you, since his £1.7.5m transfer from Blackpool and he turned £8m Boro defender Ugo Ehiogu like a kipper.

Ormerod ran onto a pass on the edge of the penalty area, deftly flicked the ball around Ehiogu, and slipped it inside to Svensson who opened up the face of his boot and crisply dispatched the ball right-footed past Mark Schwarzer.

It was a simple finish, but a wonderful creation, and a goal which threatened to open up a match which had been dying into a first half midfield battle of attrition.

Southampton had opened so promisingly in the first five minutes. Ormerod had capitalised on a hesitant Boro defence within 66 seconds to drag a shot wide, and then an off-balance Rory Delap headed over from Kevin Davies's right-wing cross minutes later.

But, from such a bright opening, Saints failed to cash in. Instead, Boro turned the defensive screw, at times dictating play within a 45-yard strip in the centre of the park and switching from a 4-4-2 formation to a 3-5-2 and even 3-6-1. Space was tight, the tackles firm, and Boro were content to unnerve Saints' potent midfield by keeping them on the back foot.

Aussie Luke Wilkshire almost marked his first-team debut with a goal, sneaking behind the Saints defence after nine minutes and just failing to connect with Jonathan Greening's stinging low cross with a touch which would have certainly spelled a Boro opener. Festa headed over and Alen Boksic fired high.

Wayne Bridge had provided a brief moment of hope after 16 minutes when his low drive from the edge of the penalty area was tipped away one-handed by a diving Schwarzer.

The Saints goal helped to lift a drab first half as Boro began the second by opening out from their midfield shell. Boksic missed an absolute sitter after 52 minutes, lashing the ball into the side netting from ten yards after being teed up by Whelan.

That was a foretaste of what was to come as , four minutes later, the Teessiders were level. Benito Carbone played a clever ball behind Paul Telfer to Whelan and the midfielder finished neatly past goalkeeper Paul Jones, who had an otherwise quiet evening.

If you thought that Boro might retreat once more into their shell and frustrate Southampton, that was discarded on the hour when Festa was red-carded for hauling back Chris Marsden as he threatened to cruise in on goal 35 yards out. Sadly, Delap's free-kick crashed against the blue-shirted wall - summing up a disappointing evening when Saints failed to make the most of any of their set-pieces.

The crowd called for Marian Pahars's introduction, and they got their wish 24 minutes from time when he came on for Svensson. Playing wide on the right, the Latvian added an extra attacking dimension, and Delap really should have sewn up the match after 75 minutes. Pahars sent in a perfect cross towards the six-yard box, Delap timed his run perfectly, but the finish was imperfect as the ball flicked off the side of the Irishman's head.

Pahars had claims for a penalty minutes later when he was upended in the area by Frenchman Franck Queudrue, but referee Uriah Rennie, waved away appeals.

And then, in injury time, Schwarzer tipped over a blinding left-footed effort from Pahars, who seemed to have shrugged off the effects of a hip injury which had forced him to miss the trip to Ipswich.

A pointis a point against a defensively disciplined Boro. It's a point which eases Strachan's side further away from the spectre of the relegation zone, but the Saints boss will have been disappointed not to have gleaned all three.