Marians Pahars failed to take the two chances which would have given
Southampton's survival hopes a massive shot in the arm.
The Latvian striker was only playing because he had been allowed to report
late for duty by his national team and that goodwill gesture came agonisingly
close to giving Dave Jones' side only their second away win in the Premiership
this season.
First Pahars - whose first goal for the club was the late equaliser against
Blackburn last week - was just unable to get an outstretched boot to James
Beattie's teasing near-post cross on 26 minutes.
The 22-year-old forward, an £800,000 signing from Skonto Riga and known as
Latvia's Michael Owen, then warmed Mart Poom's palms with a fierce 18-yard drive
three minutes into the second half after Hassan Kachloul had found him in
space.
Those were the Saints' best chances to score just their seventh goal away from
The Dell in the League this season, though Beattie's cross later struck the
outside of the post after his centre had deflected off a defender.
Charlton's loss at Everton, coupled with Blackburn's defeat to Liverpool, is a
boost for Southampton, who are now level on points with their two relegation
rivals.
And it could have been worse for the Saints, who had keeper Neil Moss to thank
for keeping Derby out.
He was only in the side because of the back injury to Wales international Paul
Jones, but he made several fine saves to preserve the deadlock.
Midway through the second half, Darryl Powell's effort came through a forest
of bodies but somehow Moss managed to get his legs to the low shot.
Dean Sturridge then came off the bench and within three minutes he had tested
Moss twice, with the 23-year-old denying the striker brilliantly the second
time.
Powell sent two low drives just past the post with Moss beaten and Kevin
Harper headed off target, but neither side really deserved the victory,
especially after a woeful first half.
Pahars' near miss aside, there was little goalmouth action to entertain the
26,557 crowd before the interval as neither side managed to find any rhythm.
The game improved immeasurably after the break but still a goal would not come
and both sides had to settle for a point.
This is Southampton's 21st season in English football's top division and they
have been fighting to stay up in the latter stages of many of those years.
But even the Saints - soccer's version of Harry Houdini - have rarely flirted
with the drop quite as much as they have this time.
Indeed, having been in the bottom three since the second week of the season,
Southampton have not so much flirted with relegation as been engaged to it for
many months - and they have just three weeks left to call it off before the May
16 marriage.
Derby were there for the taking today, especially during a mind-numbing first
45 minutes in which the Rams' only noteworthy effort was an early Deon Burton
drive which flew safely wide.
But the reason Southampton are fighting for their Premiership lives is because
of their atrocious away record and again they failed to come up trumps outside
of The Dell.
They are unbeaten in their last eight home games but they have struggled all
season outside of Hampshire and today was no different.
True, they did manage to pick up only their seventh point of this campaign on
their travels, but at this stage of the year it is wins which relegation-haunted
sides need.
The defeats suffered by Blackburn and Charlton give Southampton some hope but
on a day when their opponents - fresh from last week's 5-1 thrashing at West Ham
- were there to be beaten, Southampton were unable to come up trumps and grab
the victory which would have moved them out of the relegation zone.
Teams:
Derby: Poom, Prior, Carbonari, Laursen, Eranio, Powell,
Bohinen, Beck (Delap 46), Schnoor (Sturridge 70), Wanchope,
Burton (Harper 83).
Subs Not Used: Murray, Knight.
Booked: Prior, Burton, Delap.
Southampton: Moss, Dodd, Monkou, Benali, Hiley,
Oakley (Beresford 63), Marsden, Hughes,
Kachloul (Ostenstad 75), Beattie, Pahars (Hirst 84).
Subs Not Used: Stensgaard, Colleter.
Booked: Beattie, Pahars.
Att: 26,557
Ref: A Wilkie (Chester-le-Street).
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