It was something, but not enough.

Saints would so desperately have loved to get a clean sheet and an extra away point on the board in recent times, and have avoided the kind of failures they suffered against Newcastle and West Ham.

But they are not in that moment any longer.

They are in big trouble and the only way out is to win games.

Heading into the match at Leicester, and particularly after letting a two goal lead slip against Chelsea, Saints knew they really had to win.

They so badly needed three points on the board and a glimmer of hope.

When you have lost a lot of games in a row a draw would normally not be the worst result in the world, but when you need victories it’s not what you want.

The dejected look on the faces of Mark Hughes and the Saints team as they trudged off the field at the King Power Stadium told its own story.

It was a grim look, a look of people who knew it wasn’t enough, a look of people who know that the writing is really starting to be easily visible on the wall.

That feeling was only compounded by the fact this game was very winnable.

Leicester were so poor. Their race is run for the season and they lacked intensity for the majority of the game, and ideas.

But Saints looked a team who didn’t believe they would get a win.

They huffed and puffed but this looked like a shell of side totally bereft of confidence and belief.

You can hardly blame them now given the stage they have got to.

Before the game there was talk from the Saints camp that they needed 12 points to survive.

That would now mean winning all four of their remaining games in order to stay up, when they have won just five in 34 so far.

Even if we accept that it might not need that many points to stay up, it’s hard to imagine that Saints will need less than another eight points from where they are.

That means having to win three from four and that sounds like a big ask too.

What a dreary way to play out a draw as well.

Saints fans might well be familiar to watching a drab game with Claude Puel in the dugout, but they really needed it to be different.

Just two shots on target from Saints in the entire match is hardly the kind of stuff that is likely to produce wins.

Instead it was two teams who both seemed to want to play on the counter attack, to sit deep and allow the other side possession and then spring forward.

But with neither really sure or confident enough to seize the initiative it was a dire match and given Leicester’s inability to produce any sustained pressure one that felt like it was a big chance that slipped by.

The first half was hardly rip roaring for Saints, but given the circumstances in which they started the match it was acceptable.

Hughes kept it simple with the five man back line and really played a containing game.

Saints were intermittently a threat on the counter attack, but it was mainly about stopping a Leicester team packed with attacking talent, which they did.

Leicester started brightly as Riyad Mahrez forced Alex McCarthy into a save before Kelechi Iheanacho side footed wide.

Saints gained in confidence as the half went on and started to impose themselves as an attacking force a little more.

Dusan Tadic half volleyed wide from the edge of the area, Ben Hamer saved from Ryan Bertrand while Cedric Soares hit a far post volley wide after being found by Shane Long, who failed to produce a meaningful finish when he had a first sight of goal just before half time.

The second period was a truly turgid affair.

Saints were cautious, Leicester were cautious, and it was a scrappy mess.

The only chance of any note fell to Long who had an opportunity to hit a shot on the spin but Ben Hamer spread himself and made the save.

Neither manager really seemed to want to take the risk of going for it too early, and in the end it was too late for both.

Jamie Vardy tested McCarthy as he reached a high ball over the top, but it was a comfortable save, as Hamer had when Charlie Austin drove a low shot straight at him.

Wilfried Ndidi caused a modicum of late panic with a shot that deflected wide, but a game that deserved to end 0-0 did.

In normal circumstances and after four league games having shipped three goals in each a clean sheet and a draw would be something to hold on to, but now it’s simply not enough.

The only winner on the night were Saints’ relegation rivals.