Unlucky! Hapoel midfielder John Ogu shows he can play football as well as dish out the physical stuff. His punchy 40-yard pass slices open the Saints defence like a ripe watermelon. Luckily right-back Cuco Martina is alert to shepherd the ball back to Fraser Forster. Nothing to see here.

Saints are growing in confidence. Can they nab a lead? Cuco Martina drags a shot wide from distance before Dusan Tadic - their biggest threat - whips in a cross that is a tad (geddit?) too high for his team-mates.

Roger Holdstock: Went to Genoa on a coach to see @LutonTown lose 4-0 in Anglo Italian Cup

Mr Gerbil Head: Once travelled all the way to Sunderland from Swindon for the game to be called off because of a waterlogged pitch

Sounds like the Saints fans are actually enjoying themselves in Israel. A rousing rendition of 'When The Saints Go Marching In' is heard from the gathering in the away end. I've seen more people in a kebab shop at 1am on Saturday night but - commendably - they're making more noise than a load of drunks.

Iain Caldwell: 5 hours travel only to see the Rangers cuff Lyon!! Nothing disappointing about it.

Anthony Russello: Traveled NY to Oklahoma (1500 miles) in July to see my NY Cosmos. Lost 3-0 to Rayo OKC, Georgie Samaras scored in the 90th min.

Better! James Ward-Prowse, wearing a Vardyesque cast on his right wrist, wriggles into space inside the Hapoel half and drives forward. He lashes one low towards the left-hand post, home keeper David Goresh finally having to earn his pay packet.

Shane Long! Forgot he was playing. The Saints striker has not had a chance to stretch his legs down the left yet. He keeps finding himself in cul-de-sacs.

Promising start by the home side. Wonder if they had a half-time rocket from boss Barak Bakhar? Lucio Maranhao glances a header wide after a cross is swung in from the right flank.

Ready for another 45 minutes of fun? The players are back out, Saints will kick off the second half. And I'll stop being Mr Melancholy...

I've just been informed that the car journey from Southampton to Be'er Sheva is marginally quicker if you go through Bosnia rather than Hungary. 

Anyway...it has got us thinking. Anyone else travelled five hours/thousands of miles for a night of disappointment? Keep it clean...

Wonder what those 300 or so Southampton fans in Israel are thinking right now? Probably that the other half is going blast them for spending so much money on this dross. They've travelled 3,100 miles to this game - which is about five hours on a plane. Or 31 hours in your hatchback if you fancied a danger-tinged road trip. That includes going through Syria though...

Renato Neto, a man who seems decent value for money. The Brazilian midfielder has got himself on the scoresheet twice in the opening half an hour for Gent against Konyaspor. No delight for the Turkish club thus far.

Image source, EPA

The teamsheets have been handed in at Old Trafford. And the home side looks pretty strong. Well, the front five does...

Wayne Rooney? Benched again.

Hapoel midfielder Loai Taha towers over Nathan Redmond as they continue to argue over that 'misunderstanding'. Time for a 15-minute cool-off period. If someone could find a goal during the break then that would be great.

Image source, Reuters

Here we go! Finally a flashpoint. Saints left-back Matt Targett is hacked down midway inside the Hapoel half and the home players slow the play down, seemingly to let him have treatment. But they don't put the ball out - and Saints carry on. Hapoel's players are fuming, Saints aren't happy either. Pantomime season.

Into the final minute, there can't be much stoppage time. And least we hope not.

Image source, AFP

Oh. It turns out, according to BT Sport, that Jake Hesketh's early exit was not because of injury. Saints boss Claude Puel decided that Dusan Tadic was needed to wake up his side and Hesketh paid the price.

That minor mishap by David Goresh might make our match report at this rate. Virtually nothing has happened.

This is so dull that even Hapoel keeper David Goresh is trying to spice things up. He miscontrols a backpass as Nathan Redmond gamely chases him down. The home fans panic, Goresh remains calm and clears.