THE VALLEY was meant to be Southampton Saints' theatre of dreams but they ruined their big day with a chronic attack of stage fright.

Faced with Sky TV cameras, live national radio and a record AXA Women's FA Cup final crowd of 6,450 in sunny south-east London, the magnitude of the occasion proved all too much for Vanessa Raynbird's side who could have easily been buried under an Arsenal avalanche.

The respectability of the scoreline was due in no small part to the heroics of veteran goalkeeper Debbie Beer who deservedly strode away from Charlton clutching the player-of-the-match award.

At times the razor-sharp reactions of the Bristol-based keeper, who turns 36 this Thursday, was all that protected the overawed Saints from a defeat of embarrassing proportions.

Classy Cup holders Arsenal were super ior in every department and would have gone in 3-0 up at the break were it not for Beer palming away Justine Lorton's cunning 20-yard curler two min-utes before half-time.

Had it gone in, it would have been a second hammer blow inside three minutes for the shell-shocked Saints who were still reeling from Lorton's defence-splitting pass which set up wing-back Clare Wheatley to clip home the Gunners' second.

Amazingly, for all the Gunners' pressure, they spent the majority of the first-half with only a 15th minute own goal from Saints skipper Sharon Hayes to show for their dominance.

Again Lorton was the architect with a seemingly harmless cross from the left. Beer looked to have it covered but her call went unheard by Hayes who unwit-tingly turned it in at the near post.

It was bitterly bad luck for the petite 34-year-old centre-back who was a member of the Red Star Southampton side beaten by Doncaster Belles in the WFA Cup final of 1992. Yet undeterred, Hayes twice atoned for her error in the second half, first making a good clearing header from Faye White's danger-laden cross and then heading off the line from Ciara Grant.

While Arsenal's corner count soared into double figures, Saints managed a paltry two in 90 minutes and never got a chance to unveil the stunning set-piece skills of their England under-16 starlet Gemma Ritchie.

Like so many in red and white stripes, the Priestlands schoolgirl was overwhelmed by the big occasion and the closest Saints got to scoring was in 23rd minute when Anna Dimsdale's by-line cross was dropped by England keeper Sarah Reed but Arsenal somehow scrambled it clear with Sarah Stainer lurking.

It was Dimsdale who forced Saints' first corner in the 74th minute after a promising spell of pres-sure from the hard-working South Coast side, but Arsenal broke menacingly and it needed another great save by Beer to turn over Marieanne Spacey's angled drive.

Beer blotted her otherwise spotless copybook with an 85th-minute fumble but Arsenal substitute Nina Downham obligingly bent her shot wide of the gaping goal.

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