SAINTS showed plenty of promising signs but lacked a clinical edge as they played out a 0-0 draw with La Liga outfit Getafe at St Mary's.

The match was Southampton's seventh and last of pre-season ahead of their Premier League opener against Newcastle United next Saturday.

It means Russell Martin's side have won four, drawn two and lost only one of their warm-up matches - but they should have recorded a victory.

Adam Armstrong missed several key chances to put Saints ahead in front of 7,624 hopeful supporters on a mild summer's afternoon. 

Fans were given a welcome surprise when Kyle Walker-Peters was confirmed on the teamsheet - and starting - for the first time this summer.

There was no Ross Stewart or Adam Lallana, while Charly Alcaraz missed out through suspension and Shea Charles was present but not named.

Paul Onuachu was listed amongst the substitutes and was slated for his first minutes of pre-season with a transfer to Turkey so far not materialising.

It was a new signing in Ben Brereton Diaz - fresh from scoring on his first Saints start midweek against Lazio - who looked sharpest to start the match.

There was plenty of tempo and bravery to Saints in possession, who zipped the ball around the surface at St Mary's with conviction - sometimes too much.

Armstrong looked to have the first big chance but could not pluck Alex McCarthy's long ball out the sky and past the Getafe keeper - he was offside anyway. 

The first chances for the Spanish visitors came from mistakes in possession but they fired well wide and over with the first and hit McCarthy with the second. 

Will Smallbone had the best Saints chances, forcing David Soria into a good save with a header from a Yukinari Sugawara crossed free-kick.

Championship team of the season Walker-Peters had won the foul with an incredible slalom through three tackles to remind supporters of his talent. 

Smallbone had a shot blocked with the second chance after link-up with Brereton Diaz, before he was involved in some flashpoints.

The match had been steadily boiling over with late tackles, elbows and play-acting from Getafe testing the referee's patience from the first minute.

Carles Alena went into the book for a kick out at Jan Bednarek and Smallbone was yellow-carded in a separate instance for cynically stopping a counter. 

Getafe substitute Diego Rico was booked after the break for an elbows-up clothesline on Sugawara, forcing the referee to bring back play despite Armstrong racing on goal.

The visitors continued to play-act and the biggest cheer of the afternoon inside St Mary's came when another was booked for feigning injury. 

Substitute Sam Edozie created another chance for Armstrong but his shot was blocked before Onuachu made his surprise return to the Saints team. 

The Nigerian and goalkeeper Joe Lumley were given 18 minutes to make an impression, with Lumley immediately forced into a good save.

Armstrong fired wide with another attempt in good space and Tyler Dibling was called to replace him with just 10 minutes left and the scores level. 

Saints had late appeals for a penalty waved away when Dibling caressed a beautiful ball into Edozie at the back-post and the winger tumbled while attempting to control.

Saints: McCarthy (Lumley, 72); Sugawara, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek (Onuachu, 72), Stephens, Walker-Peters (Taylor, 60); Downes, Smallbone, Aribo; Armstrong (Dibling, 80), Brereton Diaz (Edozie, 60).

Unused subs: Lis, Manning, Bree, Wood, Mara, Amo-Ameyaw. 

Booked: Smallbone, Aribo. 

Getafe: Soria; Djene, Milla, Uche, Sola, Alena, Alderete, Yellu, Iglesias, Coba, Gorka. 

Substitutes: Letazek, Ferrer, Arambarri, Rico, Carles, Perez, Peter, Risco, Nabil.

Booked: Alena, Rico, Gonzalez, Perez, Arambarri.