Saints chief expects Town to press all the way

Town are locked in a two-way fight for runners-up spot with just 10 days of the regular League One season remaining.

Both clubs are on 83 points but Saints are in the driving seat due to having a game in hand and a vastly superior goal difference. Despite that, Nigel Adkins insists his side must finish strongly or risk allowing the Terriers to grab second place come May 7.

The Southampton manager said: “I fully expect Huddersfield to win their remaining two games so that means we have to finish strongly as well.

“Lee has done a magnificent job and deserves tremendous credit for the run they have been on. Huddersfield’s chairman is also very ambitious and it is just a shame that we both can’t win automatic promotion.”

The run-in sees Town travel to champions Brighton on Saturday before hosting Brentford a week later. The Bees also feature in Saints’ remaining fixture list with Adkins due to take his side to Griffin Park this weekend.

Southampton then move to Plymouth on Monday for their game in hand before finishing against Walsall at St Mary’s on May 7.

All three of the Saints’ remaining opponents have taken three points off them this season.

However, Southampton are in excellent form – having won 11 of their last 14 outings and suffered just one defeat, at Rochdale earlier this month.

Town, of course, are in even better form with their last defeat having come 23 games ago in December when they crashed to a 4-1 beating at St Mary’s.

Adkins, who took over in September when Southampton were third bottom, said: “Leaving Scunthorpe was a tough decision but the opportunity to manage such a big football club was just too good to turn down.

“League One is an incredibly competitive division and you only have to look how the three sides promoted last season have done in the Championship to understand the quality there is. So many sides have been on good runs this season – ourselves, Brighton, Huddersfield, MK Dons, Peterborough, the list just goes on.

“That is why it is such a hard league to get out of. But I have been promoted from this division twice with Scunthorpe, once in the play-offs and once as champions, so hopefully that experience will help get us over the line.

“Winning at Brighton (last Saturday) was a big result for us. They were undefeated at home but we fully deserved our victory. Now we have to finish the job.”