STEVE WIGLEY has stopped hoping that things will improve for Saints - he feels they simply HAVE to get better.

The head coach could only look on in frustration on Saturday as his side lost the momentum built up with the derby victory over Portsmouth.

The 2-1 defeat by Norwich at Carrow Road lifted the Canaries off the bottom of the Premiership and dragged Saints right back into the relegation mire.

They face Crystal Palace at St Mary's this Saturday desperately in need of a win - but Wigley insists the time for hoping has gone.

It's now time for action.

He said: "Hope is not enough. We've got to be better than we were on Saturday. I feel, given the situation we've had, we are better than where we are, but the league doesn't tell lies - that's the way it is.

"This is a setback and, in football, they are always round the corner. We have to make sure we win next week, because that's our only way forward.

"Every game is big for us at the minute with the position we're in. Every three points is absolutely vital. We've passed up an opportunity this weekend."

'Crunch November', as it was dubbed, has not gone well for Saints so far with only four points from a possible nine.

Saturday's game against Palace is now vital - anything other than a win and Saints will face a season-long battle to stay up.

And, inevitably, the pressure has been heaped back on to under-fire head coach Wigley. But he said: "That goes goes with the job.

"When I get a result like this, the pressure will come. It was a very disappointing result.

"We had our noses in front but then threw away the chance of victory by defending poorly in two situations.

"Although we were fortunate to go in front, we didn't seem to have much of a problem, so I'm very disappointed to have conceded on a set-piece.

"We deserved something from the game but the last 30 minutes, when we did have a lot of possession, our final ball in just wasn't good enough."