KEVIN PHILLIPS believes Saints can win the Carling Cup - but admits he would swap a result against Watford tonight for three points on Saturday.

The £3.25m striker made his comeback from injury at St Mary's at the weekend but Saints still only managed a 2-2 draw against West Brom, which kept them in the bottom three of the Premiership while the mid-table pack started to pull away.

Phillips is hoping to win through to the quarter-finals this evening against the club that gave him his big break as a professional but concedes that the league is the main priority right now - starting with a derby match against Portsmouth on Saturday.

He said: "Whether people agree with us or not, we'd swap tonight's result for this Saturday's any day of the week - not because it's Portsmouth but because we need three points.

"If you look at the table now, it takes two wins to get away from the bottom three, and that's without the other teams winning, so it's getting very important now.

"The teams are gradually starting to pull away and there's three or four of us still down there.

"The next two or three weeks are massive - it's going to take two or three wins on the bounce to creep up the table now. This is a really important time."

He added: "The Premier-ship's the main concern at the moment and this game is a bit of a distraction. But we are capable of getting a win and going all the way.

"We could definitely go all the way in this competition but we'd trade it for points in the Premiership.

"I think it's going to be a tough test for us but it's one we probably need after Saturday to try and bounce back and get a result with the big game coming up this Saturday.

"It's time now for us all to pull together, to stand up and be counted and try to get some results."

After being released by Saints as a youngster, Phillips played non-league football for Baldock Town before his talent was recognised and he was given a break at Watford.

During a spell that lasted just under three years at Vicarage Road, he scored 25 goals before a move to Sunderland and later Saints.

"Watford signed me from non-league and gave me my big chance and I owe a lot to them - but I'd still love to score the winner and celebrate," he said.

"Even when I went back with Sunderland I scored a few so Vicarage Road has always been good for me.

"It's going to be difficult but we're not stupid and we know if we go there and play to the best of our ability and do it right they shouldn't be able to live with us.

"The problem is we're near the bottom of the Premiership and confidence isn't sky high but we want to go out and get a good confident win under our belt to give us a lift."