Saints fans have backed Paulo Gazzaniga to continue in goal for Saturday’s basement battle with QPR.

As of last night, supporters had registered more than 3,000 votes in an online poll asking which of the club’s three keepers should play at Loftus Road this weekend.

Gazzaniga, despite being the least experienced, claimed 50 per cent of the vote, with Kelvin Davis second on 38 per cent, and Artur Boruc trailing well behind those two, on 12 per cent.

The fans’ backing will come as a welcome boost to 20-year-old Gazzaniga, who committed a costly error in the 1-1 home draw with Swansea last Saturday. The Argentine’s poor pass out of goal was miscontrolled by Maya Yoshida, allowing ex-Saint Nathan Dyer to pounce on the ball before firing in the equaliser.

It was an unfortunate moment for Gazzaniga, who had performed well in the previous match, a 2-0 defeat at West Brom.

Whether manager Nigel Adkins chooses to keep faith with him for what promises to be a pressurised and tense encounter between the Premier League’s bottom two sides this weekend remains to be seen.