Adkins looks for positive start at home

Southampton manager Nigel Adkins is relishing his side’s first home game in the Premier League in over seven years against Wigan on Sunday.

After sealing back-to-back promotions, Saints hope to make their home ground a fortress having lost only six of 46 league games at St Mary’s in the past two campaigns.

Though Adkins knows Southampton will be in for a much sterner test in the top flight, he is confident his side will be spurred on with the help of a partisan home crowd after giving champions Manchester City a scare at Etihad Stadium in an entertaining 3-2 loss last Sunday.

“We will be buoyed by the performance of last week up at Manchester City so we will be looking forward to being back in front of a full house at St Mary’s,” Adkins told the club’s site.

“We play very well here and win a lot of games, so that is important that we maintain that this season.

“It’s a very challenging division, mentally, tactically and physically I know here at St Mary’s the fans will get right behind the players.”

Despite the prospect of the club’s first Premier League points, the 47-year-old is wary of the threat posed by Roberto Martinez’s team Wigan, who performed well after conceding two early goals in a 2-0 loss to Chelsea in their first game of the season.

“Never underestimate the opposition. Roberto Martinez is a good, enthusiastic, young manager and it will be interesting to see how we do against their formation.

“We have done our homework on them so we know it will be a challenging encounter.”

Adkins explained the shock decision to leave the club’s leading scorer from the past two seasons, Rickie Lambert, out of the starting side that faced Manchester City, and insisted different formations would need to be utilised for different matches.

Club-record signing Jay Rodriguez started on the left of a front three while Lambert was conspicuous in his absence before scoring an equaliser minutes after coming on in the second half.

“Jay has played a lot of games for Burnley out wide of a front three and coming inside onto his right foot, and he scored some good goals for Burnley doing that.

“He enjoys playing out there as well as up front so there are a couple of positions that we know he is very good at.

“I think everyone here understands that different formations, different personnel are going to be used all the way through.”