Perhaps it was karma or perhaps it was simply about time that Glenn Hoddle finally experienced a slice of good fortune after his embattled reign as England coach.

For just as it seemed as though his new Southampton side had thrown away victory by surrendering a 1-0 lead at The Dell when West Ham equalised through Frank Lampard, defender Gary Charles came to Hoddle's rescue with an own goal four minutes from time.

And so having asked to be judged solely on his team's achievements on the pitch, Hoddle delivered a vital three points in front of The Dell's biggest crowd of the season - moving the club one place higher up in the Premier League table.

The former Swindon and Chelsea boss had been greeted by warm, if not entirely rapturous, standing ovation as he stepped onto the pitch before a kick-off which was delayed by 30 minutes due to a fatal motorway crash.

And on his return following his sacking by England due to his controversial reported comments about the disabled, it was perhaps somewhat ironic that he then proceeded past the disabled enclosure to direct his team via sign-language from the directors' box.

Even against a West Ham side missing both Paolo di Canio and Shaka Hislop, there was much for him to do in the first-half though as Southampton started slowly before gradually gaining momentum.

For having stuck with the normal 4-4-2 formation rather than using his preferred wing-backs system and made only two changes - one enforced - to the side last picked by Dave Jones, he was witnessing the harsh realities of a relegation battle as several chances

Just after Matthew Oakley had volleyed powerfully wide, the home side also had to replace Patrick Colleter with Wayne Bridge after a dreadful tackle by Charles, yet the young Saints defender performed admirably from then on.

Ahead of him on the right flank, former Arsenal winger Luis Boa Morte was meanwhile causing the most problems for the Hammers with his pace and unpredictability.

After turning past Rio Ferdinand onto Francis Benali's through-ball, his shot was just blocked by the onrushing figure of stand-in keeper Craig Forrest, who then raced back to clutch the ball on the goal-line.

Boa Morte also fired wildly over the bar from 10 yards out after a mis-hit clearance yet the best opening of the entire first-half fell to the unlikely figure of defender Benali, whose header was cleared off the line by striker Paulo Wanchope.

Wanchope had little to do at the other end, after all, for West Ham only threatened a couple of times on the breakaway and even then Trevor Sinclair was unable to find his strike partner with misplaced crosses.

The Hammers reshuffled at the break to strengthen their over-run midfield yet still Southampton pressed forward and Oakley appeared to have been bundled over by keeper Forrest.

However, referee Barry Knight remained unmoved and it seemed as if Southampton would never manage to break the deadlock until Marian Pahars suddenly raced clear onto a through ball which caught the Hammers' defence flat-footed.

Despite not having scored in his previous 11 starts, Pahars' finish was exemplary as he placed his shot just inside the far post and the Saints should then have made the game safe.

However, just after Hoddle had raced down to the bench to direct operations and was preparing to send on the experienced Mark Hughes, the visitors hit back.

Steve Lomas bisected the static Saints' defence to find Lampard storming through the middle and he calmly slotted his shot past the advancing figure of keeper Paul Jones.

At that point, it seemed as if any chance of victory was gone as Southampton pressed forward all too predictably in search of a winner.

But then came the intervention of Charles, who turned the ball into his own net from Jo Tessem's cross even though there was time to clear and Hoddle was home and dry.

Indeed, some would say he had found immediate salvation as well as luck which he almost never found as England coach.

It was luck that Jones rarely experienced but there are many weeks of hard work still left if the former England coach is indeed to haul the Saints clear of the relegation zone.

Teams

Southampton: Jones, Dodd, Richards, Benali, Colleter (Bridge 21), Tessem, Oakley, Marsden, Boa Morte (Hughes 66), Pahars (Soltvedt 89), Davies.

Subs Not Used: Beattie, Moss.

Goals: Pahars 54, Charles 86 og.

West Ham: Forrest, Ferdinand, Stimac, Margas (Moncur 45), Charles, Lomas, Lampard, Cole, Minto, Wanchope, Sinclair.

Subs Not Used: Bywater, Ruddock, Carrick, Keller.

Booked: Charles, Stimac.

Goals: Lampard 65.

Att: 15,257

Ref: B Knight (Orpington).