Portsmouth boss David James praised Southampton after seeing off their south coast rivals in Saturday's FA Cup clash.

James was quick to praise the contribution of the League One team which took such a hammering on that memorable day.

He told The News: "I must congratulate Southampton on their performance, they put a decent effort in.

"They played with a lot of energy and produced some very good football.

"Rickie Lambert was hard work, a big lump who was causing most of the defenders problems.

"His delivery in the box in the first 45 minutes was outstanding. I completely mis-read a cross on one occasion because it was such a good ball.

"Every time he got wide he was knocking balls in so Hayden (Mullins) closed that down after 20-odd minutes because he realised what he was going to do.

"They played with a lot of energy, some very good football, and that explained why they were unbeaten for nine games. Before the match I had a quick look at the programme and I don't think they've conceded more than two goals at home this season.

"We were up against a tough side and their performance proved that."