MILWALL 0 - SAINTS 2

The answer remains to be seen but, as long he keeps up this form, it could well be all three.

There is a funny kind of thing going on with Walcott - it has been for some time.

Many people have been aware of him and his talent for a while but have kept it quiet - partly in fear of losing him and partly in fear of putting too much pressure on him.

Now he is in the first team, it's hard to ignore.

Of course, Dennis Wise is right to come out and say Walcott needs time and space to develop, not just as a player but as a person. He is only 16.

The problem is, if he's playing and scoring goals, that isn't going to happen ... because he is impossible to ignore.

Probably what Wise means is not to put all your eggs in Walcott's basket.

Let him come in and do his thing, see how he gets on and, if he has a dip, don't panic; rather, let him go away, regroup and then come back again.

The trouble is that Saints struggled to find a striker who could score.

Then Walcott comes along and gets two in his first two starts and suddenly he, in the fans' eyes at least, is the team's best hope of a goal.

So, as much as people will say you can't put too much pressure on him, his own success means it's almost inevitable.

The point that some miss is that pressure is not always a bad thing. Some people thrive on it, as Walcott is doing right now.

Wise is right, though. Stifling pressure can get to people.

But, if you're good enough and you're going to be as good as people reckon you will be, then you'll handle it.

Michael Owen did, Wayne Rooney did ... a whole generation of players at Manchester United did.

Walcott will have less attention than that lot but, to be fair, from what we've seen so far, there's little to worry about.

For a 16-year-old he's very switched on, very level headed. He seems a nice, grounded lad with a stable family behind him.

Walcott's goal against Millwall on was another glimpse of what he has to offer.

After finishing the one-on-one at Leeds in midweel, this was about pure pace.

There was a speed of thought as Walcott zeroed in on a backpass from Jamie Vincent to keeper Andy Marshall.

And then there was a pace of feet to beat the keeper to the ball and slide it home from a tight angle.

That effort gave Saints the lead, and set them on the way to their first win since August and only Harry Redknapp's second away league success in his time at St Mary's.

It was certainly welcome after so many draws and, after speculating here on Wednesday that defeat at Leeds might well lead to a few more wins, it started that way.

The match was an entertaining affair.

The football on display was rarely superb but it was action-packed and there was definite edge to it.

Walcott came in for some physical treatment as Millwall tried to put him off, but it didn't work.

There were tackles flying in all over the pitch.

Ultimately, Paul Ifil got sent off in first-half injury time for a second yellow card after catching Danny Higginbotham late on the left wing.

There were Millwall arguments but the ref seemed in little doubt.

As if that wasn't bad enough for Millwall, Saints were already 2-0 up by then.

Ifil's first yellow card, for bringing down Neil McCann, led to a free kick that saw Djamel Belmadi float the ball onto the head of Ricardo Fuller who converted totally unmarked from ten yards.

After the break Millwall came out with three up front and all guns blazing.

They rattled Saints at times.

However, a combination of strong defending around the edge of the box and solid keeping from Antti Niemi kept them at bay.

Saints could have killed the game off either at the end of the first half or with numerous chances in the second.

Belmadi had possibly two of the best in the second half, once blasting over and once hitting the post.

But, in the end, Saints were the better team and deserved their long-awaited win.

At least this performance has taken the pressure off everybody - for a little while at least.