The waves have battered against the south coast with unrelenting, roiling might this season, and Southampton now face their most concerning result of the term after falling at St. Mary’s Stadium to the hand of League Two outfit Grimsby Town.

Bottom of the Premier League and currently wielding their third permanent manager of the campaign in Ruben Selles, Saints’ domestic cup endeavours this season have provided a certain sense of respite and having reached the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, the same was set to follow in the prestigious FA Cup.

Bypassing the Mariners’ roaring crowds – heaping adulation on their lowly side right from the opening whistle – was supposed to be the toughest test; a fairytale run which has been seen before, but wedged firmly in mid-table in England’s fourth tier, Saints should have easily secured the victory.

It wasn’t to be, and a succession of penalties either side of half-time proved too much for Selles’ men, who pulled one back and agonisingly saw VAR chalk off Theo Walcott’s late equaliser, and while it was a herculean effort from the Town, there were one too many culprits who have now jeopardised their position in the squad.

Was Armstrong at fault vs Grimsby?

At the heart of the peril was forward Adam Armstrong, who has only scored four goals from 59 appearances since his £15m move from Blackburn Rovers in 2021.

This season, two goals and a single assist from 31 outings across all competitions hardly evoke confidence in the face of adversity, and the potency of the frontline has consequently been impacted.

And against Grimsby, his Sofascore rating of 6.3 was the lowest of any starting outfield player for either side, with his 67th-minute substitution for Joe Aribo epitomising the woes of his stay on the south coast, branded “extremely disappointing” by The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell.

Failing to hit the target, Armstrong managed one blocked and one wayward strike, and aside from completing 80% of his passes and registering one key pass, failed to muster a morsel of the attacking impetus that his manager would have craved to ensure a chastening outcome came to fruition, and indeed it did.

And winning just 20% of his total duels – two from ten attempts – the 26-year-old failed to exhibit the robust approach that is required when a team finds themselves stuck in a muddy situation.

Failing with all three of his dribble attempts, and losing possession 12 times, it was a wholly forgettable occasion for the striker, who now faces an onerous task in convincing his boss he warrants inclusion over the business phase of the season.

After such a shambolic display, Selles now faces the conundrum of considering whether to drop players such as Armstrong for the remainder of the campaign, saying to The Athletic after the match: “I will need to analyse that. That (particular) reflection should be for some time different than now.”

That said, with options limited and time running out to salvage anything from this dreadful campaign, Selles might begrudgingly slot Armstrong back into a starting berth in short time.

But with further performances such as the dismal display against the Mariners, Saints’ despondency is crystallised.