Charlie Austin to Southampton fans: ‘Keep getting behind us’

Southampton striker Charlie Austin hopes Saints fans will continue to back their team despite a frustrating run of form which has seen them not score a single goal in their last five Premier League games.

Saturday’s 0-0 draw at home to Newcastle United extended that goalless run, while adding to Saints’ awful home form which has seen them just win once from 16 matches.

“I know the fans are getting frustrated and I totally understand that, but we are trying 100 percent to get the second win of the season and push on,” Austin said [H/T the Daily Echo].

“You only have to look around and you can see that everyone is on the edge because they don’t know whether we are going to concede or score. It’s hard not to feel it. But that’s football though.

“They come to get behind us and they love the buzz of getting behind their football team and we are in it to provide entertainment for them. I know it’s a frustrating time at the moment, but just keep getting behind us and it will come.

“If we weren’t creating the chances, then it would be time to worry.”

Austin is guilty of poor personal form too, having only scored one goal in nine appearances so far this season. So far, he hasn’t exactly rewarded Mark Hughes’ faith in him, but then Saints are lacking in quality attacking options.

Chances are being provided to Southampton’s forward line to a certain extent, but of 22 attempts on goal from Saturday, only four were on target. Are these chances quality goalscoring chances? Are Saints’ strikers simply not cut out for this level anymore?

Austin, unsurprisingly, is publicly optimistic that he and his teammates can turn things around in a goalscoring sense.

“We are so, so close. We create chance after chance and loads of teams have been like it, we just can’t put the ball in the net.

“It’s so close to us getting the ball in the net and then it’s all going to click. As soon as we get that one in the net, it’s going to snowball.

“Once it happens we can all kick on because we are a truly strong side and we don’t deserve to be in this situation.

“You can see the hard work we are doing and it’s coming so close now. When the goals come, we are going to be an exciting team to watch play.”

Groundhog Day.