'Rubbish' - Annoyed boss of key Leeds United rival makes top-two claim with no doubt after twist

United’s key automatic promotion rivals Southampton and Ipswich Town both took in their games in hand on Tuesday evening but Martin’s Saints blew the chance to overtake Leeds in second by falling to a 2-1 defeat at home to Hull City.

As Ipswich recorded a 4-3 triumph at home to Rotherham United, the reverse saw Southampton drop to fourth, two points behind both Ipswich and Leeds with the Whites occupying the second automatic promotion spot by virtue of a much better goal difference.

Southampton trailed 2-0 at the interval of Tuesday night’s contest after a first-half display which Martin admitted was “rubbish” as he also blamed himself for his side’s failed approach to the game. Martin, though, says he has no doubts that his team will bounce back in Saturday’s hosting of Millwall and predicted that the race for automatic promotion will go down to the wire.

“I have got no doubt we will bounce back because of the quality of people in the dressing room and the quality of player,” said Martin post match to the BBC. "And it is going to be tight until the very, very end so I can be really calm about it because the second half gives you enough to think 'okay, we are really not very far away from where we need to be.'

"But it's a brilliant reminder to everyone. To play this way, I understand the frustration and the moans in the crowd in the first half and the crowd have been amazing, St Mary's has been amazing. But there was so much frustration, so much tension in the players and the supporters.

"But we really need to get through them moments together better than we did tonight and that's not a criticism of anyone. I am annoyed myself first and foremost because I maybe didn't make a big enough deal about how hard we are going to approach it out of possession.

"It's been a tough night but we have an opportunity everyone to bounce back on Saturday and I have got no doubt that we will because whenever there has been a setback, the players, the supporters, the staff, everyone rallies together and we have to go and be more us than ever on Saturday because in the first half tonight we weren't and that's cost us."

Speaking to the Daily Echo, Martin admitted “the first half was rubbish” and reasoned: “In the first half we went with a game plan where I felt we learnt from the last time we played against them and had a lot of success in the second half so we went the same way. So that's on me.

"We started well, we had the first chance of the game with Joe Rothwell from a press, really aggressive. And then after the first we didn't score and the goal we conceded was really rubbish, especially when we have worked on stuff like that in training and that exact move because we have seen Hull do it a lot, a really rubbish goal to concede.

"At Bristol we lacked aggression and intensity and tonight we lacked courage in the first half in a big way, in a big, big way. In the second half we were good. The problem is no one cares if you are good when you are 2-0 down so we've completely given ourselves a mountain to climb.