MICHAIL Antonio’s first-half strike gave Southampton a valuable three points and put a huge dent in Charlton’s automatic promotion hopes.

In a high energy game played to a cracking atmosphere all around St Marys Stadium, the Jamaican-born youngster fired home the decisive goal ten minutes before half-time to give manager Alan Pardew the last laugh on his former club.

The game featured the return to the starting line-up of club captain Nicky Bailey from injury, taking the armband back from interim skipper Christian Dailly in the process.

Bailey came in as a straight replacement for Jonjo Shelvey in an otherwise unchanged side, forming a five-man midfield supporting lone frontman Nicky Forster.

Both sides have proven themselves to be capable of great attacking play at times throughout the season, and the midfields each found time in the opening minutes to create wasted chances for Forster and Jason Puncheon respectively.

And just when it seemed as if the home side would start to take early control of the game, the Addicks rallied forward on nine minutes and Bailey’s header from a Frazer Richardson cross had to be parried majestically by Kelvin Davis.

On the quarter hour mark, a long ball into the Charlton danger zone from former Crystal Palace man Jose Fonte led to some neat interplay between Adam Lallana and Ricky Lambert, ending in the free-scoring Lambert’s shot being deflected away.

The game remained even and exciting, and at the midway point of the half Darren Randolph dove well to his left to turn a low Puncheon drive around the post.

The opening goal came ten minutes before the break and it went to the home side when the ever-dangerous Puncheon latched onto a good flick-on and played Antonio through to hammer home his first ever for the Saints.

The Charlton players refused to let their heads go down, least of all powerful midfielder Jose Semedo, whose long ball upfield after another ball-winning tackle gave Forster the incentive to twist and turn his way past Dan Seaborne to force another corner out of Davis.

The home crowd screamed for a penalty minutes later as Gary Borrowdale appeared to shove Puncheon down in the box, but referee Grant Hegley, apparently none too impressed with Puncheon’s dramatically belated tumble after the fact, said no.

Borrowdale went on to play with Soton fan’s heartstrings further at the other end with a pair of dangerous inswinging corners, the first of which creating Bailey another header to test Davis.

Southampton started the second half with a bang as good pressure right from the whistle culminated with Lambert’s powerful header requiring a goal-line clearance from Lloyd Sam.

On 57 minutes, Charlton managed to fight off the Saints’ energetic onslaught long enough for Semedo to send Bailey into the box from the left, forcing another strong parry from Davis.

Moments later, after two consecutive cries of handball from the Charlton faithful were ignored inside the hosts’ penalty area, some ballwatching among the Addicks backline almost saw Puncheon and Antonio recreate their goalscoring double-act, only for the Reading loanee to be inches shy of his teammate’s cross.

Phil Parkinson changed his hand on 64 minutes with a double substitution, reverting back to 4-4-2 with Akpo Sodje replacing Forster and a tactical gamble bringing midfield enforcer Semedo off for another Reading loan man, David Mooney.

Some poor clearing from the visitors allowed the Saints a further handful of attacks, Lambert coming closest with an intelligent curling shot crepping inches wide.

And although late drama ensured as keeper Randolph rushed forward to threaten at two Charlton corners in stoppage time, Southampton held on to keep their hopes of a late surge into the playoffs alive while possibly condemning the Addicks to that same fate.

Charlton: Randolph, Richardson, S.Sodje, Dailly, Borrowdale, Sam, Semedo (Mooney 64), Bailey, Racon, Reid (Shelvey 78), Forster (A.Sodje 64). Subs not used: Warner, Llera, Wagstaff, Solly. Att: 23,061