SAINTS manager Russell Martin played down the likelihood of starting with two strikers but insisted we could see it "at some point" this season.

The boss admits he has been attempting to "find a solution" to his side's scoring problem, with Saints bottom of the Premier League on points and goals.

Saints have found the net just seven times in 11 matches, having also lost 3-2 the only game in which they have scored twice this season.

Cameron Archer has typically led the line as the sole number nine, with Paul Onuachu coming off the bench in each of the last five fixtures.

Adam Armstrong and Tyler Dibling have been among the supporting cast from the wing but Martin was asked about starting Archer and Onuachu together.

"We are looking at all the options available to us in terms of how we can find the best solution without changing everything," he responded. 

"We still want to maintain as much of the ball as we can to dominate territory but if we're going to try other options you might have to give something up.

"We played two strikers away at Leeds at the end of last season. We played them at Newcastle this year, wide strikers, then against Forest and didn't like it.

"We've tweaked and changed the formation a lot since we've been here but the concept of the game and the teams have never looked too different.

"It's maybe something at some point we'll see but also we need to make sure we are being consistent with the players on what we want from them."

Martin faced a barrage of questions about his faltering attack following the 2-0 defeat at Wolves, who were bottom of the table, before the international break.

He admitted Saints "lacked real top-end speed" but suggested he had to give up something in the transfer market with limited funds available.

"A coach's job, I think, is to find a problem and work out what the problems are, find a solution and then anticipate the next problem," he added this week.

"We had some problems in the build-up early on in the season. The guys have really worked hard on that to sort it out. We have.

"Of course, when you're trying to fix one problem, maybe another one arises, so now we have to solve another problem and find another solution.

"It's the excitement of the job and I think it's the players who are always a big part of that process and they understand why.

"We ask them for a lot of feedback and a lot of input. I think everyone's clear on what we need. How we get there might look different from game to game.

"The key principles will not change. We must ensure they are carried out with as much intensity and aggression as we can. That gives us the best chance."