WHILE there was a well documented partial eclipse of the sun taking place on Friday that the whole country could observe, there was also a less reported partial eclipse in the sun at Southampton on Saturday.

The Clarets returned from St Mary’s with nothing more than hard luck stories for their toil.

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As Jose Mourinho might put it, the game was all about numbers, the three key digits being 25, 37 and 58.

There was hard luck in the 25th minute when Jose Fonte scythed down George Boyd for a nailed on penalty.

There was bad luck in the 37th minute as a fortuitous ricochet fell perfectly for Shane Long to open the scoring.

Then there was further ill fortune in the 58th minute when Jason Shackell failed to adjust his body in time to prevent his own goal.

Along with many other Clarets, I had long pencilled in this fixture for a ‘weekender’.

That’s how I found myself taking in the delights of two harbour localities.

I last visited Fareham over 33 years ago en route to a match at Portsmouth.

It’s a ‘well to do’ place perfectly illustrated by its extensive yacht berth, home to scores of luxurious vessels.

Yet affluent as it is, the six pubs visited then are now halved, having fallen victim to closure and conversion.

In contrast the small village of, wait for it, Hamble-le-Rice - yes I thought it was a Chinese takeaway dish - retains its four pubs along one perfectly preserved cobbled street.

It was the setting for the little watched, long running 70s TV series Howards’ Way, which as far as I can remember featured the privileged classes just messing around in boats.

With no game scheduled next week, it gives our players a last chance to rest up and get their mindset 100 per cent focused on what will certainly be a tense two months both on and off the pitch.

There may be only eight fixtures remaining, but each one now takes on the status of a cup final.