IT is more vital than ever that Saints retain their composure and self belief.

Jan Poortvliet’s team are in a hugely important part of the season.

Gone are those early games, the ‘getting to know you’ and settling in matches.

They were a series of tricky fixtures and, though you would have preferred more points than just the three, with encouraging performances that was just about alright.

But now we are in a 21-day period that contains seven games which will shape Saints’ season.

In three weeks’ time we will have a fair idea whether Saints’ season will be spent fighting at the top, middle or bottom of the table.

Saints probably had every reason to feel the world was against them when they took on QPR at Loftus Road yesterday.

But they can’t allow a hangover to effect two important home games this week.

Poortvliet has to try and release the pressure on his young side even though there is no doubt plenty of it is slowly building.

Results in these next two games are likely to prove fairly significant.

But Saints have to try and keep playing with a level head, keep moving the ball as they can do and believe that the results will come.

Surely their belief is being tested, even at this stage of the season, but it has to remain strong and Poortvliet will have a massive role to play in that.

He has been the biggest champion of the young players, never allowing himself to waver.

Now he has to be more positive than ever and make sure his players believe in themselves.

They have the heart and the energy, and they proved that again yesterday.

But to turn these performances into points they need to find a little something extra – and they need to find it soon.

Saints’ belief was rocked very early when one of their former youngsters, Dexter Blackstock, opened the scoring with just 37 seconds on the clock.

QPR bombed a long throw into the box and Saints defended it poorly – set-pieces are still proving an occasional problem.

Paul Wotton rose highest but inadvertently flicked it on.

Blackstock had got on to right back Lloyd James who got incredibly close, so close he was spun with the QPR man slamming home into the roof of the net.

The game was pulsing along nicely with Blackstock threatening again for QPR while Adam Lallana and Nathan Dyer, on for the injured Lee Holmes, provided bright sparks for Saints.

On the half hour mark came a defining moment.

Poortvliet's belief in youth saw him take the slightly curious decision to pair Oliver Lancashire with Jack Cork in the centre of defence, leaving the experience of Chris Perry on the bench.

He obviously wanted Saints to pass out from the back but the inexperience caught up when Lancashire got himself needlessly sent off.

Damien Delaney was storming forward but out wide on the left the danger was still not acute.

Lancashire, though, launched full pelt into a sliding challenge he didn’t have to make and scythed him down.

Whether it was a sending off or a yellow card was debatable.

There was no malice in the tackle, it was purely mistimed, but it was not a good one.

With Saints down to ten they showed plenty of heart but were picked apart.

Kelvin Davis became a busy man, saving from Delaney and Blackstock, twice, before the break.

After half-time Saints came out fired up. To their great credit they didn’t abandon their footballing principles and equalised with a terrific goal on 53 minutes.

Davis rolled the ball out from the back, Morgan Schneiderlin took it on before giving it to Lallana just inside the Rangers half.

He ran to the edge of the area, played a lovely one-two with Simon Gillett before one more touch to control and another to put the ball in the bottom corner.

But playing with ten men for a long time does eventually wear you down and the shock spurred QPR on.

After Davis had saved from Hogan Ephraim, QPR regained the lead on 63 minutes.

Again it was unfortunate for Saints as Martin Rowlands’ free kick picked out Damion Stewart, clearly offside, and he finished.

However, there was no flag and the goal stood.

It was 3-1 on 77 minutes when Patrick Agyemang’s shot was well saved by Davis but Blackstock was on hand to sid foot home the rebound.

The game continued to fizz along, Davis making three more good saves while Saints never lost heart and threatened through Tomas Pekhart and Dyer.

Agyemang gave the score a flattering look with another goal in stoppage time, drilling into Davis’ bottom corner.

At the very least Saints had pushed on when they could have rolled over and given up.

They will need plenty more of that spirit in the next couple of weeks.