Chris Perry insists Saints can reach the play-offs this season – despite their defeat at Leeds.

The veteran centre half admitted the dressing room was silent after the 1-0 loss at Elland Road, such was the belief amongst the squad that they would go to the table toppers and win.

Defeat left Saints, whose defeat was only their second in 17 league and cup outings, nine points adrift of the top six.

It left Perry targeting back-to-back wins over Exeter and Colchester over Christmas to push them nearer the top six.

Saints welcome Paul Tisdale’s Grecians to St Mary’s on Boxing Day before making their first ever trip to Colchester’s Weston Homes stadium two days later.

Perry said: “We’ve come off the pitch and the dressing room is dead to be honest.

“Even though we’ve been on a good run of late it is dead because we came here thinking that we could win.

“Perhaps we didn’t get the ball down and play as much as we would have liked to.

“Had we maybe done that then we might have caused them a few more problems and nicked an equaliser or better.”

Full story in today’s Southern Daily Echo.