Defiant Nigel Adkins still believes Saints will win the Championship title.

A 3-0 defeat Brighton yesterday gave West Ham take the chance to draw level on points with Saints, who remain top on goal difference, while Middlesbrough and Cardiff are within two points.

Saints have taken eight points from their last eight league matches but Adkins is staying focused and positive and is sure that it might have been very different if it wasn’t for Rickie Lambert’s controversial red card at the Amex Stadium.

“The sending off has changed the whole complexion. That is the big defining point,” he reckoned.

“We keep talking about it and did ever so well in the first game against Brighton where our discipline was there.

“We talked about it again and keeping 11 on the pitch.

“There’s things going on and with Rickie it was a close call for a penalty.

“We’ve highlighted before it can happen and we can’t react to it.

“We came away from home and set ourselves up in the right manner to win the game and having controlled the game in the manner we had first half we believed we would go on and win the second half like we believe we are going to win this division.

“There is resolve about the players, results have gone against us, a few question marks will get asked but we will stick together, we will keep positivity about ourselves and believe everything we are doing is good.

“The supporters stuck with the players again and we’ve got to keep grinding through a situation at the moment but it’s all about getting results.”

Lambert is now facing a three-game ban which means he misses the FA Cup game at Coventry and league matches against Nottingham Forest and Leicester.

Though Saints felt the red card was harsh, they will struggle to appeal it unless they can find some conclusive video footage of the incident.

“I didn’t see it from the dugout, I’ve looked it on the tape as I’ve come out,” said Adkins.

“It’s very difficult to see from where the tape is and I hope somebody else might have better footage but the fact of the matter is he’s been sent off and because of a coming together and that won’t change the scoreline and there’s nowt we can do about it.”