Chris Lucketti may have been making only his second senior appearance since December, but the 36-year-old defender produced a superb display at the heart of the defence to help relegation-threatened Southampton to a crucial 2-0 victory against leaders Bristol City last weekend. That win lifted the Saints to 19th in the table but there is still work to be done before the St Mary's outfit are out of danger. Lucketti picked up a black eye for his troubles against the Robins but, as givemefootball's Mark Shail discovered, he is just happy to be playing firs team football again after signing on-loan from Sheffield United.
Q:YOU MUST HAVE BEEN DELIGHTED WITH LAST SATURDAY'S WIN?
A:I was really pleased with the team and how they played. On another day we could have scored four or five goals. It was a physical game and in Dele Adebola they have some physical players. You know you're in for a battle but that's part of the game and what I enjoy.
Q:WAS IT A DIFFICULT DECISION TO JOIN SOUTHAMPTON ON A SHORT-TERM BASIS?
A:It took a lot to come here. I left my wife, who's just had an operation and my three kids, but the manager wanted me here. I was getting fed up with being on my backside at Sheffield United so I'm delighted to be here and able to prove to people I can still play.
Q:WHAT ARE YOUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF YOUR NEW TEAMMATES?
A:You look at the squad and you can't believe where they are in the league table. They should be challenging for promotion but things happen and we find ourselves where we are. They proved they are more than capable of getting out of it, but we need to take it game by game. Everybody's happy though – it was a massive three points.
Q:SO ARE YOU CONFIDENT THE SIDE CAN CLIMB TO SAFETY?
A:Bristol City have been in the top two of the table for some time, and deservedly so, but we proved we are more than a match for them and if we keep producing that kind of performance then we have a great chance of staying up.
Q:IS THERE A POSSIBILTY YOU COULD JOIN THE CLUB ON A PERMANENT BASIS?
A:We haven't spoken about a permanent deal or anything like that but it's looking less likely that I have a future at Sheffield United, which is one of the reasons why I came down here to show I could still play. At the moment I'm just here to do what I can to help Southampton stay up. I have another year at Sheffield United, so I'll just have to wait and see what happens and how it goes until the end of the season. But I'm really impressed by what I have seen.
Q:HOW YOU EVER BEEN IN A RELEGATION BATTLE BEFORE?
A:Yes, I had a relegation scrap while I was at Huddersfield, so I know what is needed. Survival takes balls of steel and big characters. We have enough of those, it is just a case of getting everything to click like it did against Bristol City. It's not a pleasant experience but the support was fantastic on Saturday. Everyone is a bit edgy and nervous but if the fans get behind us in the remaining games then we have a great chance.
