Paul Jones is ready to prove he is still the Number One when Saints kick-off the new Premiership season at Derby on Saturday.

Glenn Hoddle's choice of goalkeeper has been one of the most fervently debated topics among the fans this summer.

Neil Moss staked a strong claim at the end of last season while Jones was sidelined following major back surgery which led to some suggestions that he might never play again.

The manager rotated the pair evenly through pre-season but Jones got the nod for the final pre-season friendly against Real Sociedad and is likely to re-establish himself as top man at Pride Park.

He said: "I am confident I have done enough over pre-season to prove my fitness. I have not had a problem virtually from day one.

"There have been no niggles from the back at all, not even an ache. I have missed only one training session and that was with tight calves.

"I have done enough in the games to show I am fit and playing well but Neil Moss has done the same so now it is down to the boss."

Saints have an awful record at Pride Park. They have yet to score in four visits to the stadium which will be a blueprint for their own, managing just one draw.

But Jones knows it is vital they put that right on Saturday to get off to the kind of start which last season held them in good stead for much of the campaign.

He added: "We won at Coventry which was the first time we had

taken three points from our opening game since 1988.

"We took nine points from our first five games which set us up for the season and gave us a bit of a cushion when things were not going so well later.

"It also gave us a massive psychological boost. It means we are not looking at safety from the start but up towards that middle bracket.

"Our first two games are against teams who are probably going to be around the bottom half and we need to take points off them to enable us to push on.

"We don't have the best of records at Derby but this would be a good time to put it right. A draw would be a solid start and a repeat of last season's opening day win would be very nice.

"We have to go there and be solid, shut them out and then hope to hit them."

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