DAVID PRUTTON believes Saints are only halfway towards really kick-starting their Premiership season.

The midfielder turned in a man-of-the-match performance and scored his first Premiership goal of the season against Liverpool.

With three of the bottom four picking up wins on Saturday, and Norwich staging a sensational comeback against Middlesbrough to draw, the complexion of the table didn't change much.

But Prutton feels victories here and there are not enough - Saints need a winning run.

He said: "It's a huge result but it's more important to get back-to-back wins now.

"We need to build on it and get another result and hopefully it will kick us on.

"We need to pull away at some stage and consolidate our position but it's going to be tough - we've got no illusions about this."

The last time Saints won consecutive Premiership matches was under Paul Sturrock.

They defeated Spurs 1-0 at St Mary's towards the end of March 2004 and then won 4-1 at Wolves in the first week of April.

At present, no other club in the Premiership has gone as long as Saints have without winning consecutive - though the last time West Brom and Norwich achieved such a feat it was in the First Division last season.

Prutton scored the first - only his second league goal for Saints in 45 starts plus 12 games as a sub - and set up the second for Peter Crouch.

But he played down his own superb contribution.

He added: "It's nothing to do with individuals but how we play as a team and we played well - that's all that matters.

"Some days you get things that work and this was one.

"We've got to maintain this, though, and push on. As a team we can really perform and pull our standards up.

"It was good timing to get the goal and I was glad I got it, but it would have been good no matter who scored it.

"Then we consolidated the goal and deserved the three points.

"There's been times when it feels like we've not pulled out our fingers until the other team's got in front, so it was nice to get a lead and maintain it."

Prutton is now hoping the result will prove an impetus for the rest of the season.

"You'd like to think it's not just one game we're fired up for but the whole season," said the £2.5m man.

"We struggled in the first half of the season but if we go out and play with heart and commitment for the rest of the season then we'll be OK.

"It's got to be different now. It's something or bust and we've got to really take it to whoever comes here."

Speaking of the new look 4-5-1 formation, he added: "I'd like to think this formation could work in the long-term.

"Any kind of formation that proves a success for us is great, whether it's one up front, two up front or three up front. It's just whatever works for us."

Saturday's win also ensured Saints handed over an unwanted top flight record. Before the weekend they had gone 28 league games without winning by more than a single goal. Now Norwich hold the record with 24 matches.