City's defeat at Southampton left fans, players and club officials with a New Year hangover as they made the long journey back from the south coast.

Paul Jewell's men had gone into their first game of the Millennium knowing that victory would haul them above Southampton and up to their highest place in the league since mid-October.

Even a draw would have seen City stay level on points with the Saints although they would still have dropped into the bottom three due to Derby beating Watford.

Unfortunately for City, Kevin Davies' third goal in as many games was enough to seal Saints' first home victory since August.

I must admit that as I walked out of The Dell an hour after the final whistle, I felt very despondent despite City's fightback in the final half-hour which came so close to yielding a goal. And to be honest, that only cleared once the long drive back to Bradford was over.

The City players looked similarly down as they trooped off in the rain at the final whistle.

However this is no time for despondency at Valley Parade or for the players to feel sorry for themselves. Important league points have to be won and City, despite their first half display at the Dell, are capable of winning the required number.

With the rest of the Premier-ship involved in FA Cup action this weekend, City have an opportunity to make up the ground lost on Monday.

Chelsea are the visitors to Valley Parade and although the London side are undoubtedly a class side, City have impressed at home in recent weeks.

The Blues have already lost this season at both Watford and Derby so it is not as if they are invincible.

And it is probably better to face Chelsea now when confidence is not so high within the Blues' ranks than on the first Tuesday of the campaign - when the game was originally scheduled.

What is paramount, however, is that City put the disappointing Southampton result out of their minds.

Callers to a south coast radio station phone-in before the game were suggesting that whoever lost at the Dell would go down.

How someone can say that with the season only having just passed the halfway stage is beyond me.

There is so much football left to play and the results of the five clubs scrapping near the foot of the table suggest it will not be settled until the final day of the campaign.

City's problems in finding the net have returned over the holiday period with them failing to score in their three games.

However unlike the start of the season, it has not been a case of City failing to create any chances.

And that has to be a reason for City to embark on the final months of their first Premier-ship season confident rather than despondent despite being in the bottom three.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.