RALPH Hasenhuttl insists there will be little respite for his Saints squad during their three-week break from action as he keeps minds focussed on Premier League survival.

Victory over Tottenham meant Saints signed off for their enforced hiatus in magnificent fashion.

Coming on the back of a win over Fulham and a superb display against Manchester United at Old Trafford, Hasenhuttl fears there is a danger that momentum could be lost and players could think the job is almost done.

However, the Saints boss is having none of it.

He plans to give his men a few days off but there will still be plenty of work for them to get through.

He said: “During the three weeks they will have time to rest but the important signal is that we tell them it is not gone now and that it is still a fight we have to give because the other opponents are only two points away.

“Cardiff are only two points behind us and if we lost to Tottenham we would have been under the line and so it is not the moment to rest. It is not the moment to lean back. It is the moment to take this time.

“They will get time off but also there is time where we want to work on details on our game and I think with the win in the mind it is much easier than in the last break we had.”

Saints’ time off comes as a result of the postponement of their fixture at Watford due to the Hornets making the quarter-finals of the FA Cup immediately before a two-week international break when many of the squad will disappear from Staplewood.

Hasenhuttl admits this is something very different for him

“This situation is something new for me,” he reflected. 

“Missing a Premier League game or league games because of a cup game is a completely new experience for me and to have such a long break is unnatural. A little bit crazy.

“We have to handle it and take the time.

“The first week we have all the players here and the next two weeks they go to the national teams and then training is not so easy because you cannot work on anything.

“The first week we take a few steps towards the Brighton game but then they go off and forget everything so it doesn’t really make sense.

“We find something to keep ourselves in rhythm but it’s not easy.”

Saints are at least in high spirits and looking good in their fight for survival and Hasenhuttl added: “The quality we show is one thing but you have to get points for it and that is the important thing.

“It doesn’t matter if you play well and lose the games. It doesn’t make any difference. You lose.

“The most important thing is to consistently take points.

“You cannot expect that we take three against Tottenham but it’s better to take this three than maybe one against Man United and one against Tottenham.

“It is fantastic that we won this game but it is still hard work.”