DELL legend Terry Paine saluted Nigel Adkins for his remarkable achievement in guiding Saints to back to back promotions.

Paine said: “They say nice guys never win but Nigel Adkins has proved them wrong.

“What a remarkable two years it’s been! When we were made favourites to win promotion at the start of the season I thought the bookies had been smoking something!

“Not in my wildest dreams did I think we would win back-to-back promotions.

“But when I saw how well they played against Manchester United in the FA Cup last year I knew they were going in the right direction.

“And there was a positive feeling about the club when I was over in pre-season for the Markus Liebherr Memorial Cup.

“I had dinner with Nigel, Nicola Cortese and Kelvin Davis and that gave me a good idea of their expectations.

“I know Nigel will be disappointed they didn’t win the Championship but for me it doesn’t matter.

“They’ve done it with a bit of class and a bit of style.”

Don’t miss Terry Paine’s exclusive column in the Sports Pink every weekend.