A game of appalling mediocrity was interrupted in the 78th minute when a moment of excitement broke out on the pitch.

It was provided by substitute Rodney Bascome who blasted league champions Somerset to victory 18 minutes after coming on at Southampton Oval.

Bascome capped a fine solo run across the edge of the 18-yard box with a curling, left-foot shot that dipped into the top corner of the net.

His effort was one of just three shots on target during the entire 90 minutes -- and they all came from Somerset.

Somerset deserved the victory not because they played well, far from it, but because a woeful Southampton side did nothing to deserve even a draw.

It says everything for the quality of play that Bascome was man of the match even though he played just half an hour.

Neither team appeared capable of passing in a straight line, let alone being able to string together enough passes to create a chance.

The match was further marred by an extraordinarily-high number of free kicks, mostly for petty offences.

Indeed, the referee was never busier than in halting seemingly every fourth Southampton attack due to careless offsides.

Winger Ascento Russell was particularly guilty, being caught offside time and again, sometimes by laughably-wide margins.

In a miserable first half, the only bright spot came in the 44th minute when Trojans' Billy Fitzpatrick hit the underside of the crossbar with a blistering shot from 20 yards.

The second period was hardly much better, but at least Somerset got some semblance of an attack going.

They nearly took the lead early on in the half when Rangers defender Pernell Brangman almost deflected Fitzpatrick's cross into his own net.

The match plummeted to almost ludicrous depths when it took Somerset three attempts to make a double substitution because they had failed to get the paperwork right.

And then there was the occasion when Somerset goalkeeper Antoine Swan hoofed a goalkick over everybody's heads and into the arms of Southampton goalie Randy Darrell, who promptly launched his own kick back over everyone's heads and back into the arms of Swan.

Oh, and let us not forget the time when Somerset's Andrew Rahman horribly mishit the easiest of back passes to his goalkeeper.

Even allowing for the misdirection, there was still no danger as the ball bobbled ever so slowly wide of the goal but Swan, without an attacker near him, came out far too casually, tried to trap the ball, failed hopelessly, and let it trickle out for a corner.

For both Somerset and Southampton, it was one of those days.

Southampton: R.Darrell; R.Belboda, D.Charles, P.Brangman, E.Brangman; A.Russell, J.Raynor, M.Brangman, L.Seymour (B.Harris, 35 mins); S.Simons, O.Jones.

Somerset: A.Swan; G.Cann, P.Place, T.Dickenson, F.Smith; A.Burchall, A.Rahman, S.Arorash (R.Bascome, 60 mins); B.Fitzpatrick, D.Basden (R.Tucker, 61 mins), K.Tucker.

Referee: Rex Osborne.

Men of the match: Olin Jones (Southampton); Rodney Bascome (Somerset).