MATTHEW OAKLEY is hoping his early exit from the 3-1 defeat at Ipswich will enable him to play at Coventry on Friday.

The Saints midfielder limped off after just 29 minutes with hamstring pain caused by a back problem.

At the time Southampton were 1-0 up and well on top, and he watched in frustration as it all went wrong after the break.

Oakley hopes to have caught the injury early enough to be back in the side at Highfield Road. He said: "The back problem had a knock-on effect with the hamstring. I felt it during the warm-up but decided to give it 20 minutes to see how it went.

"I hope we caught it at the right time by coming off early. I did not want to stay on and risk tearing it so I signalled to come off.

"I will try and work on it this week and hopefully I will be OK for Friday. It is a match we really need to win after Saturday. It is so frustrating because we were well in control in the first half."

Uwe Rosler also picked up a knock. He had to be helped from the pitch at the final whistle, dazed following a clash of heads with Hermann Hreidarsson.

He said afterwards: "I am still a bit dizzy but should be OK."

Saints were hit by two goals in as many minutes straight after the break, and the third in the final minute was merely a case of being over-stretched at the back as they pushed for an equaliser.

Again it was a scrappy goal, with Paul Jones saving the initial shot from Alun Armstrong but the rebound hit Wayne Bridge and bounced in!

Bridge said: "I don't know if it will be classed as an own goal but I suppose it should be. The ball was going away from goal when it hit me on the back and went in.

"We gave away three really bad goals which was so annoying after doing so well in the first half."

Jones said: "I made a decent save, to be fair, but it hit Bridgey on the backside and bounced in.

"But we should never have lost this game. We should have won it by half-time."

* Read Graham Hiley's full match report in our Saints section now.