Features
Away days: Southampton
Written by Rory Mitchinson
After visits to Swansea City and Brighton & Hove Albion, the Magpies face another lengthy journey at the beginning of October, taking on Southampton. Here, we take a closer look at the Saints’ home, St. Mary’s Stadium…
Club: Southampton
Stadium: St. Mary’s Stadium
Capacity: 32,689
Distance from St. James’ Park: 328 miles
Previous Premier League visits: Six (One win, two draws, three defeats)
Eight out of United’s last nine visits to the Dell ended in defeat, and their poor record on the South Coast has continued since Southampton moved to St. Mary’s in 2001. Newcastle’s sole Premier League win at the venue came early into the 2004/05 campaign, when full-back Stephen Carr netted his only goal for the club to settle a tight encounter. Since then, they have lost four times out of four, shipping 13 goals in the process.
Newcastle were beaten 4-0 two seasons on the trot, though their last loss – a 3-1 reverse in April 2016 – proved particularly damaging, with goals from Shane Long, Graziano Pellé and Victor Wanyama pushing the Magpies closer to the drop. Incidentally, it remains their most recent defeat as a top-flight side.
The Saints’ relocation to St. Mary’s marked something of a homecoming for the club, who were originally known as Southampton St. Mary’s after being founded in a nearby church.