Southampton 4 Watford 0

Managers often split the season into blocks of fixtures, and sometimes give their players points targets to hit from each of them, thus breaking up a long and potentially overwhelming campaign into easy to calculate packages.

This season the two early international breaks have provided a clear dividing line.

As Saints went into the first they could be totally satisfied with what they achieved.

They had bounced back from a defeat at Leicester with a Carling Cup win and before all that had marked their return to the Championship with some scorching form.

This time the feeling is even better.

With ten games gone, Saints remain top of the table, and nobody can knock them off that perch for at least a fortnight.

And, with results elsewhere all going with them at the weekend, Nigel Adkins’ men even have something of a cushion.

When Saints come back, the f ixture list will be just as frantic and the first block of games, three in a week, sees tough matches at Derby, at home to West Ham and on the road again at Reading.

So, after one point from two back-to-back away games going into Saturday, getting a win over Watford was important for the team’s confidence and self belief as much as anything.

They have given themselves a little extra breathing space going into that next hat-trick of fixtures which are games that would test any side at this level.

Had they failed to beat Watford then, with three games without a win under their belts, those games could have seemed daunting rather than exciting as they now do.

The break undoubtedly comes at a good time for Saints who have looked a little tired in recent games.

However, despite all that, you cannot fault their quality, or commitment, and they have continued to create chances.

That ultimately was the difference between them and Watford.

The Hornets were the better side for much of the first half but their lack of a cutting edge in front of goal made you think they wouldn’t have scored had they still been playing now.

Saints on the other hand, though far from their best, still always possessed a genuine danger thanks to the quality they have.

And, after Saints had gone 2-0 up, any remaining belief drained from Watford and their players looked like they knew what the rest of the stadium was thinking – that there was no way back.

In the end Saints bounced off the pitch with a resounding 4-0 scoreline in a game in which they hadn’t played that well.

But such is football that you can go off at half time and reflect you are lucky to be 1-0 up ... then walk off at full time wondering how you only won by four clear goals.

What a strange game it is.

It might have all been so different had Watford taken the lead early on when Jonathan Hogg found himself with time and space 12 yards out, but he missed the ball and kicked the turf.

By the time it was worked back to him again he was under pressure and fired a shot straight at Kelvin Davis.

Joe Garner also might have done better when he held off Jose Fonte, but his attempt at lobbing Davis allowed the keeper to turn over the bar.

Despite being on the back foot, Saints got a break when they were awarded a penalty on 22 minutes.

Steve De Ridder, on his first league start for the club, chipped a right wing cross to the far post where Rickie Lambert challenged for the ball.

And, without barely an appeal from the stands let alone the pitch, referee Carl Boyeson pointed to the penalty spot for a somewhat mystifying handball.

Lambert was in no mood to see justice done, though, and drilled his spot kick past Rene Gilmartin, who had guessed correctly in diving to his right.

Saints almost bagged another six minutes later as Guly Do Prado cut the ball back from the right by-line to Adam Lallana, who smashed his shot against the crossbar.

The second half was all about Saints’ dominance and Watford’s capitulation.

The belief drained from the Hornets after Lambert converted a second penalty, this time sending Gilmartin the wrong way after he had been dragged down at the far post by Adrian Mariappa when about to challenge for a header.

Lambert hit the side netting with a fizzing low shot – as he chased a second St Mary’s league hat-trick of the season – while Davis had to make a rare save, diving to his right to keep out Craig Forsyth’s effort.

Saints made it 3-0 on 70 minutes, Lallana squaring to Do Prado who was given plenty of time in which to measure a shot which he placed into the bottom corner.

Richard Chaplow, who had a big impact as a second half sub, twice came close to adding yet another as he first struck the post and then forced Gilmartin into a good save after a fine passage of play.

But Saints weren’t to be denied a fourth and secured it ten minutes from the end when another sub, Lee Holmes, cut in from the right wing and delivered a clinical curling left footed shot that Gilmartin couldn’t prevent from hitting the bottom corner.

The start to the season could barely have been any better.