Southampton boss Russell Martin issues 'fight' warning to Leeds United and Ipswich Town

Southampton boss Russell Martin has warned Leeds United and others that his men are 'up for the fight' amid a close race for second place. The Saints, at least for now, moved into second place on Friday night with an impressive win over playoff candidates West Brom.

Southampton suffered a rare defeat during the week, but they have bounced back thanks to goals from Ryan Fraser and David Brooks. They are now a point above Leeds in the table having played the same number of games, although the Whites could go ahead having played a game more on Saturday when they face Plymouth Argyle.

In the meantime, Southampton boss Martin has been speaking about his side's performance at The Hawthorns, warning promotion rivals that the Saints are ready for the fight. “It’s our best win of the season. After Tuesday the questions were asked, those watching – the teams in hotels – people at home were looking to see how the team responded and they were amazing," Martin said. "It’s a big moment for us.

“The aggression was through the roof compared to Tuesday. When I watched back Tuesday I felt worse about it than after the game. I didn’t make a big enough deal about being aggressive and that was a hangover from Saturday.

“Away from home we’ve been really good on the whole. The fans have been amazing, we lost 3-1 we didn’t play very well and they were clapping us right to the end. Hopefully tonight shows the guys are really up for the fight.”