Steve Bould’s side will be looking to record back-to-back victories in the league when we host Southampton on Saturday.
THE STORY SO FAR
We went into the international break on the back of an impressive away win against Tottenham, where goals from Robbie Burton, Trae Coyle and Nathan Tormey secured a 3-1 victory.
Our captain opened the scoring when he slammed home from close range before a slick counter attack in first-half injury time allowed Coyle to double our lead.
The hosts pulled a goal back in the second half but Tormey settled any nerves when he reacted quickly after his initial shot was saved to fire home.
We made a strong start to the season after successive wins against Blackburn Rovers and Brighton before drawing against Derby County and last season’s champions, Everton.
We’ve only lost once so far and have shown great character after falling behind as we’ve gained six points from losing positions this term.
We currently sit third in the league on 17 points behind Chelsea and Derby.
THE OPPOSITION
Southampton were promoted to the Premier League 2 last season after winning the second division play-offs, but have made a slow start to life in the top tier.
The Saints recorded an impressive victory on matchday one, coming from 3-1 down to beat Manchester City away, but have only tasted victory once since, while losing seven times.
They recently lost their head coach, and former Southampton defender, Rhadi Jaidi, who took charge of USL Championship side, Hartford Athletic, earlier this month.
ONE TO WATCH
Coyle looks back to his best after scoring his first goal of the season against Tottenham.
The forward, with electric pace and an eye for goal, scored eight times and registered six assists for our under-18s last season and made his Premier League 2 debut the campaign before, aged 16.
Steve Bould was impressed by Coyle’s performance against Spurs and said: “He’s had a very good season, it’s nice that he scored because he doesn’t score enough for his ability and he knows that and he’s working on it, so it’s great to see him on the scoresheet.”
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By Sam Cox
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