SAINTS skipper Andreas Jakobsson says next Sunday's home match against Birmingham is a must-win game.

That was the conclusion he drew after Saturday's agonising 1-0 loss at Everton to an 88th-minute winner from Leon Osman that left Saints joint bottom of the Premiership table after almost a quarter of the 2004/05 campaign.

The Swede, pictured below, believes Saints have not got the results they deserve from recent displays - they have taken just two points out of a possible 21 since Paul Sturrock departed almost two months ago - and says they HAVE to put that right at St Mary's next Sunday.

Jakobsson, who was given the captain's armband in the absence of Jason Dodd and James Beattie, said: "We have to take three points from the next game.

"We played quite well against a good team. We were playing away, but had lots of good ball in our team and created some good chances."

He added: "The last four or five games we have played quite well but only have two points. We deserve more points and need this little bit of luck."

Jakobsson, who has yet to win a Premiership match since signing for Saints on transfer deadline day in August, admitted it was hard to accept Saturday's result.

But the £1m signing from Danish club Brondby stressed that it was now important to focus on improving ahead a game against a Birmingham side who, like Saints, have only won once in nine Premiership outings in 2004/05 - in their case a 1-0 home win against Manchester City on August 24.

Regarding Saturday's loss at Goodison, Jakobsson continued: "We played quite well in the first-half and not so well in the second-half.

"In the first-half they had one or two good chances and apart from the goal nothing in the second-half.

"It's very hard when we played quite well to get no points.

"The whole team was playing quite well, that is why it is a little bit disappointing."