STUART ARMSTRONG admitted he never practiced free kicks with James Ward-Prowse, joking, “I never saw the point because he’d never let anyone take one anyway!”
With a 25-yard dead ball that brushed the underside of the crossbar as it went in, the Saints star scored a magnificent winner at Stoke City.
Armstrong’s strike was the only goal of the game as Russell Martin’s team recorded their first clean sheet and second win in a row after four straight defeats.
The Scotland international returned to the team for Saints’ 3-1 win over Leeds United on Saturday, and he was named to the starting lineup again on Tuesday night.
Before joining West Ham United, Armstrong had spent years following former captain Ward-Prowse, who is one goal short of David Beckham’s Premier League record.
When asked if he ever practiced with him after training, he laughed and said, “I never saw the point because he’d never let anyone take one anyway!”
“But he’s the best free-kick taker I’ve ever seen for a reason.” His talent is unrivaled, and I am confident he will shatter the Premier League free-kick goalscoring record.
“I’ve had the pleasure of watching him up close for the past five years and seeing how much care he puts into his free kicks.” “Hopefully, with a little more practice, I’ll be able to add a few more.”
Armstrong explained his performance, saying, “The ref was sorting things out so I had a lot of time to think.” I found it odd that the goalkeeper was standing in the middle of the goal.
“That made me reconsider, but I told myself, ‘No, I’ll stick to it.'” The ball seems lighter, allowing you to take some power off with improved control and precision.
“I knew it would spin a lot and the execution was good, but most importantly it got us the three points.”
Saints hung on for their fifth win of the season, putting pressure back on their promotion rivals following an early wobble under new manager Martin.
Armstrong had a close-range header immediately after halftime that could have made it comfortable, and Kamaldeen Sulemana and Sekou Mara also had one-on-one chances.
“We could have made the game easier for ourselves, it was a bit scrappy and we had a couple of chances, myself included, which would have made it more comfortable,” Armstrong stated.
“Naturally, when you only have the one-goal advantage you get a bit deeper and they have more attacks but it was a proud defensive performance for us.”
Saints host second-bottom Rotherham in the penultimate Championship encounter before the October international break tomorrow at St Mary’s.
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