Saints travel to MK Dons in the Capital One Cup looking to truly kick start a season which started solidly but is at a crossroads this week.
Prior to the Manchester United game Saints had made a solid if not spectacular start to the season, a win against United would have seen us sitting 8th or 9th and well placed, but the defeat has pushed us down the table to 16th and we are at a crossroads in the season, we need to get back to winning ways and create an atmosphere of confidence within the club.
This week sees two vital games in that respect and the first of those is the trip to MK Dons in the Capital One Cup.
Last season our Capital One Cup run was a vital part of the way the first half of the season was shaped and this is going to be no different this year, Saints supporters have tasted a bit of glory last season and of course a fleeting Europa League campaign this and they want more and the Capital One Cup offers our best opportunity of doing just that.
But it also offers us the chance of a bit of squad rotation, Shane Long and Juanmi for instance need to get more game time they have showed us what they are capable of and they need to be pushing for a place in the starting line up, they cant do that if they are no getting game time.
So the trip to MK Dons offers us a great opportunity to progress in this competition, it offers us a great opportunity to get the fringe players involved but more importantly it gives us a great opportunity to get back to winning ways ahead of the game against Swansea City on Saturday.