DARREN Powell admits the recent changes have been unsettling at St Mary's - but that squad morale remains high.

Powell has seen ten coaching staff and 19 players leave and 15 players come in since he joined from Crystal Palace last July.

The 29-year-old centre-half ack-nowledges Saints have under- performed this year but are now determined to pull things around and ensure they don't get caught up in a relegation battle.

"All the changes has taken its toll but the gaffer has come in and try to change things round," said Powell.

"The squad is smaller now and, with the players he's brought in, he wants to get the side settled and start picking up some points.

"It's been unsettling but we've got to get on now and we should be getting ourselves out of it, making it easier for ourselves.

"Hopefully the players can settle in quickly and we'll get away from the bottom three."

Powell could feature against Preston tonight after a steady display against Reading last Friday - his first game back in the side since an below-par showing in the 2-0 defeat at home to Ipswich.

And his absence from the team has made him more determined to win his place back and keep it.

"The manager has got his own ideas and you just get on with it, work hard until you are given an opportunity and try and take it. If you sulk, you are in the wrong game.

"Morale has always been good here. We all know what we've got to do. We are in a fight now and we've got to stick together to get ourselves out of it.

"At this time of the season, you are not playing teams for nothing. It's vital you don't get drawn into the dogfight. Every game we play, we know what we've got to do."

If he starts, Powell could find himself up against two strikers he knows well, former Saint Brett Ormerod, left, and one-time Brentford colleague Patrick Agyemang.

"Brett will work hard and he's always desperate to try and score, but we know all about him and hopefully we can keep a clean sheet and start scoring at the other end now.

"I know Patrick as well - he was at Brentford on loan some time ago and is a good player. He's quick and strong. It's going to be difficult."

With all the distractions both in terms of player turnover and off-field speculation and protests against the chairman, Powell thanked the supporters for sticking by Saints.

"The support has been good - it's always been good," he added.

"They might be screaming 'chairman out', this and that, or 'we're not spending enough on players', but they still come out and support the team and we owe more than what we are actually doing. We have underachieved this season."