EVERY word Saints manager Russell Martin said during his pre-Huddersfield Town press conference, including: Going 25 unbeaten, Huddersfield challenge and Kamaldeen's return.


You can go 25 unbeaten with a win - how big is that?

It is amazing for the players. I hope they can do it for themselves and the staff. I will maintain what I have said all along, we need to make sure the run counts for something at the end of the season. That is the goal for us.

I hope that they can do it. The players have been brilliant but tomorrow will be a difficult game. I watched a Huddersfield team that were fighting last week.

John has taken over as caretaker there and obviously knows what he is doing. They seemed to really enjoy it. We need to ensure that we are humble and hungry. I want the player to keep feeling that. 

What are the things the players need to keep doing to keep the run going.

Our job is to bring the energy for the players and to give them enough motivation and information to keep doing what they are doing.

Their job is to stay hungry and humble. We just talked to them about expectations - people may turn up expecting something, but that does not happen.

My expectation is for the players to run. The players have to be brave enough to play. They have so much belief and confidence.

In the first half against Watford on Tuesday we were too nice of a team to play against. That was the first time that has happened for a while.

I hope that is a big learning for us as a group. We have to maintain the mentality. I really believe that if the players do that then we can achieve something really special.

We will only do that if we keep growing. It is down to constancy of work, but most importantly courage and intensity to run for each other.

When speaking to players about the run their general reaction is 'it is not enough' - it is really important to be winners isn't it?

We all have a winner inside us because we are in this job for that reason, to win. But you have to balance that with humility otherwise it is the wrong energy and the wrong place to be in.

If you watch this team sometimes and I’ve had it a few times this season, the way they play with so much courage and conviction in what they are doing then some people will look at it and say it’s maybe a bit arrogant or when I clap the players when they play out from a tight position, I maybe clap that too much sometimes.

I feel that so much for the players, how difficult that is, and it is never arrogant if you are humble enough to understand that you still have a long way to go.

I’m still frustrated we haven’t got more points. I’m still frustrated we are fighting so hard to be in the top two, but we have to use that to keep driving us on and keep fuelling us.

The minute any of us overstep or lack humility, we have a big problem – myself and the staff included.

They are a brilliant group, and they work so hard in training for each other. It’s our job to make sure that we stay there. Whilst we have that then it’s a brilliant and beautiful thing to have. It’s up to us to make sure we always maintain that.

Players coming back from injury - that is a great problem to have?

The bench that we will have tomorrow is so strong. We have Kamaldeen back in the squad now.

That is brilliant for us because he is a completely different option to anyone else that we have. The players are really pushing each other in a good way.

They are competing against each other every day in training. The whole point of putting everyone through the work is to make sure the team doesn't look too different when you make changes.

We had two young guys train with us the other night who have trained with us every day over the last three or four month. I think it showed for them.

The team functions very much in the same way. That is a brilliant thing for us as a coaching staff. The players should take a huge amount of credit for that.

It is a really nice problem to have. It is our job to balance the squad. We have so many games, everyone is going to get a chance.

Everyone will be involved. Games like the other night are a chance for people to push to be playing.

The guys in the team know they need to stay where they are. The bench is going to be utilised. The subs have had a huge impact for us. They need to carry on doing that.

Has Kamaldeen's injury been a chance for him to learn?

Kamaldeen is excited by the prospect of being back in the team. He has worked so hard and trained like an absolute beast because he knows that is what it will take. 

Brooksy has come in the building and everyone looks at him and think 'there is more competition.'

It is no surprise that Will Smallbone has had his best games since Joe Rothwell has come into the building and Joe Aribo being away at AFCON with Nigeria.

They all know that they have to keep working and improving. Kamaldeen may have to be patient - there may be a game, or a moment, that suits him. He needs to be ready for that. 

He came into this team at the start of the run and unfortunately got injured. The players that have come in have taken their chances, now it is up to him to do that. 

Being in a team that wins is a brilliant place for anyone to be in.