Leeds United rival manager makes 'beautiful thing' claim amid promotion race prediction

Southampton boss Russell Martin believes being 'written off' in the automatic promotion race could ultimately end up working in their favour. The Saints currently sit fourth in the Championship table, nine points behind the top two pace.

But, with two games in hand to play, they still have the opportunity to eat up the ground on those currently above them and force themselves back into the title picture. In fact, it's fair to say Southampton's fate is still very much in their own hands given they have Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Leeds United still to play.

The clash with Ipswich comes on Easter Monday and that promises to have huge implications, one way or the other, before facing off against the top two, at the time of writing, in the final few weeks of the campaign. There's a lot of twists of turns to come then, it seems and Martin is counting on it as they push to avoid the lottery of the play-offs.

"You are getting so close to the end goal and everything you want to achieve," Martin said in the build-up to Southampton hosting Middlesbrough at St Mary's Stadium on Good Friday. "Every game you tick off now, you get closer and closer. Crazy things will happen in the league between now and the end of the season.

"There will be some strange games and strange results. We have to take care of ourselves. The beautiful thing for us is that we have been written off by everyone.

"We have averaged two points a game and have been completely written off which is really interesting and shows the quality of the league. We will take each day as it comes and we have a tough one against Middlesbrough, who are in good form - especially away from home."