Wembley on the horizon as Saints continue march to the arch

If you haven't already, stick March 28th in your diary now. For that is the date on which Saints, barring defeat over two legs against Paul Ince's MK Dons, will be appearing in their first Wembley Final for over fifteen years after Tuesday night's win over Norwich.

Saints 2 - Norwich 2 (Saints won 6-5 on pens)

It was more of a stumble than a march to the arch, however, as Saints put in a mixed display at odds with their recent performances. 2-1 down with seconds to go, it took a stoppage time equaliser from Papa Waigo, who had already put Saints ahead in the first half, to force penalties after a poor second half. Alan Pardew admitted Norwich may have deserved to win, but more than a measure of luck is necessary to all sustained cup runs rely and it went Saints way on the night as the side recorded their second penalty shoot out win of the competition thanks to Bartosz Bialkowski's heroics.

Saints 3 - Tranmere 0

The cup win came hot on the heels of Saturday's match against Tranmere. Goals from Ricky Lambert and Dan Harding eventually saw off the League One strugglers, who had made life difficult for Pardew's men in the first half. The two victories mean Saints have now won five on the trot in all competitions, just the results, even if not matched by form, required if Saints are to make their play-off dream a reality this year.