It was a case of new ground, same old jinx for Newcastle as their season ended in dismal fashion with their usual defeat at Southampton - and a serious injury to Kieron Dyer.

The Magpies have not won here for 30 years but hoped their luck might change now that Saints have moved from the hated Dell to the snappily-named Friends Provident St Mary's Stadium.

Instead it went from bad to worse, adding injury to insult. Not only did they produce their regular no-show but Dyer was stretchered off and it now looks his World Cup dream is over.

The midfielder was sprinting into space down the right on 56 minutes when Tahar El Khalej hurtled in sideways on with a reckless challenge which could never have hoped to win the ball.

It was an awful tackle and unforgivable on a player looking forward to the greatest footballing moment of his life. The Moroccan was instantly and rightly red-carded while Dyer was carried off in tears of pain and bitter frustration.

The irony was that Dyer had only just begun to get involved in the match having spent most of the first half looking as though he was doing his best to avoid getting hurt.

His usual commitment seemed slightly lacking as he tiptoed into tackles and played without the normal intensity. But then he was far from alone in that with Solano and Speed also ineffective.

Only Alan Shearer really put it in as normal as he chased the Golden Boot - although the hard-working habits and discipline instilled during his apprenticeship with Southampton ensure he never lets his standards slip even in a meaningless final game.

He got one goal - a typically predatory strike - to draw level with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Ruud Van Nistelrooy, he was pipped by Thierry Henry's double.

Shearer was fastest to react and force home from close range after stand-in keeper Neil Moss spilled an unremarkable angled drive by Laurent Robert just two minutes before Dyer's injury.

It rewarded a much brighter start to the second half, presumably after Bobby Robson had reminded the players of their responsibility to the 3,000 vocal fans who had made the long trek with nothing at stake.

That lack of incentive showed in the visitors' play in the first half as they were outplayed by a Southampton team who clearly wanted it much more.

While Newcastle were guaranteed fourth spot whatever, this victory lifted Saints four places to 11th - and earned an extra £1.76m in prize money.

With that prize in their sights they tore into the Magpies who looked unprepared and taken aback, as though they had been expecting a tame stroll in the south coast sunshine.

It was no surprise when Gordon Strachan's men took the lead on 16 minutes through Anders Svensson who is likely to line up for Sweden against England on June 2.

He broke through unchecked to prod home at the near post from a low cross by Marian Pahars who had turned Aaron Hughes inside out.

Newcastle were so laid-back that they did not even contest a penalty awarded just six minutes later when Brett Ormerod went flying over Shay Given's hurtling lunge. The keeper dived to his right and got a good hand to James Beattie's spot-kick but he could not keep it out.

Southampton remained comfortably in control until half-time, restricting their opponents to half-hearted long-range efforts. But it all changed after the break.

Robert had a shot well blocked by Jason Dodd and then had another superbly saved by Moss who also denied Olivier Bernard before Shearer pulled one back.

The red card - and more importantly its reason - raised the tempo and tempers and from then on it was all Newcastle as they tried to exact proper punishment with an equaliser.

Saints reshuffled plugging the gap at the back and replacing Pahars and Svensson who both limped off. That denied long-serving stalwart Matthew Le Tissier the chance of an emotional farewell.

Strachan proved there is still room for sentiment in football by putting the club hero on the bench even though he was not match-fit.

The intention was for him to take the accolades in the last 10 minutes. But with £1.76m at stake, sentiment can only go so far and Le Tissier - so often the scourge of past Newcastle sides - sadly stayed put.

His moment would surely have come in injury-time when Beattie took a quick free-kick, chipping forward for Paul Telfer of all people to delicately lift the ball over the stranded Given from 30 yards.

It was his first goal in three years - and the kind of finish more usually associated with Le Tissier. That should by rights have been his fairytale finale - but he too was a victim of the Moroccan's moment of madness.

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