SOUTHAMPTON will not be relishing the visit of Colchester United tomorrow, especially after the appointment of Aidy Boothroyd as the new U's boss this week.

Carl Marston

SOUTHAMPTON will not be relishing the visit of Colchester United tomorrow, especially after the appointment of Aidy Boothroyd as the new U's boss this week.

And that's because Boothroyd has plotted the downfall of the Saints on his previous five clashes, when in charge at Watford.

It was a case of five wins out of five for Boothroyd's boys, with the Hornets also scoring three goals in each of these games.

Southampton are still on minus seven points, at the foot of the League One table, so another visit from Boothroyd will set the warning bells sounding.

During Watford's promotion winning season of 2005-06, Boothroyd masterminded a 3-0 home win over the Saints on Boxing Day, with Darius Henderson scoring the opener, and the same player scored a brace in the corresponding fixture at St Mary's Stadium (3-1 win on March 20, 2006).

Following a season in the Premier League, Watford returned to haunt George Burley's Southampton side in 2007-08. This time Henderson scored an injury-time winner in a 3-2 win at Vicarage Road on September 16, 2007, and ironically he was also on target in the 3-0 victory on the south coast on New Year's Day, 2008.

And before Boothroyd parted company with Watford, he also managed to complete a nap hand by rattling up a 3-0 win at the Saints in October of last year. Current Ipswich Town striker Tamas Priskin scored twice that day.

Now the U's will be hoping that Boothroyd's hoodoo over Southampton will continue tomorrow.