SOUTHAMPTON head coach Russell Martin returns to his boyhood club for the first time in his managerial career tonight, as his side take on high flying Brighton in the Premier League.
Martin expressed: “I loved going back there as an opposition player band as a manager with Swansea, and I’m really looking forward to going back there now.”
Saints face a tough challenge against a side who sit 5th in the Premier League table, with the possibility of moving up to 2nd with a victory.
In contrast, the Hampshire side have a chance to lose their tenth consecutive top-flight away games for the first time since 1974.
Despite Southampton sitting at the bottom of the table, with just one win in their last 25 Premier League matches, Martin is going into the game with confidence.
He’s said: “We’re in a good place and the players give us a lot of confidence what we’re doing.
“Brighton are a very different club to the one I supported as a kid and played at for a very brief time.
“I think for Fabian it must’ve been a beautiful job to take on with the ingredients he already had. And to put his own spin on that he’s done incredibly well.
“We have to bring everything to the table tomorrow, a performance of real courage.
“We have a good chance of beating anyone in his league and it’s a brilliant challenge.”
And to make it even more difficult for Saints to get their first away win of the season, the Seagulls are unbeaten at home in the league this season, with three wins and three draws.
