Wednesday looked like a team in need of the international break as we went down 3-1 at Southampton today.

It’s not surprising when Henrik Pedersen finds himself having to name just about the same squad for each game – due to the well-documented limitations in available numbers and experience.

Once again, there was no disputing the effort and commitment of the team at St Mary’s but that was not enough on the day and a third Saints goal just after the break all but ended our resistance in a second-half of few chances at either end.

Not for the first time this season, we gave ourselves a mountain to climb after conceding an early goal and then going two-down on 17 minutes.

In fact, we almost went behind after just three minutes when a mix-up between keeper Ethan Horvath and Sean Fusire ended with the latter clearing off the line.

Six minutes later we were trailing when Caspar Jander’s goalward effort deflected up into the air off Liam Palmer’s challenge, Horvath fumbled the loose ball and despite his efforts to retrieve the situation the referee ruled the ball had crossed the line.

Bailey Cadamarteri headed over from a Harry Amass cross soon afterwards but then came a second Southampton goal on 17 minutes,  Tom Fellows taking advantage of some poor Wednesday defending to send Finn Azaz into the box and he fired into the far corner of the net.

We still posed a threat going forward and were back in the game on 25 minutes when loanee Amass strode forward before beating Gavin Bazunu with a low long-ranger for his first goal for the club and five minutes later Cadamarteri saw his effort from 12 yards pushed away by the keeper.

Fusire cleared off the line again, this time from Azaz, before Charlie McNeill forced a tipover save from Bazunu on half time.

However, that promising finish to the first half was outdone within two minutes of the restart when Adam Armstrong turned Dominic Iorfa almost on the halfway line and cut in past Palmer before finishing in style with the outside of his foot.

There were few clear-cut opportunities at either end after that, the defeat leaving us 17 points from safety following our recent 12-point deduction but with the majority of players now able to recharge their batteries during the international break … ahead of the Hillsborough derby clash with Sheff U on November 23.

Horvath, Fusire, Palmer (Ugbo 68), Iorfa, M Lowe, Bannan, Valery, Ingelsson, Amass, McNeill (J Lowe 55), Cadamarteri. Unused subs: Stretch, Emery, Fernandes, Johnson, McGhee, Otegbayo, Thornton.