A 3-1 defeat at home to Reading last Friday put the south coast side three points behind the Royals in the race to the title, but Adkins is remaining positive.

It is seven years since Southampton dropped out of the Premier League, but their manager is confident they can follow up last year's promotion from League One by getting out of the division above not only at the first attempt, but as champions.

"We're really excited about it and this is what we're in football for," he told the club's official website.

Positive

"We want to get to the Premier League and we're fighting to win the Championship. We're at the top end of it in the last couple of weeks of the season, this is what we're in it for so let's embrace it, let's challenge it, let's be positive in everything that we do.

"We've had a great season up to now, and we're making sure that we've given ourselves an opportunity to win this division, and now it's about the next game that we've got, that's all we're going to focus on."

The Saints are back in action on Tuesday night when they travel to Peterborough, when Adkins aims to keep the pressure on Reading with three games of the season to go for both sides.

"The objective is to win the division," he added.

"Reading have gone three points ahead, but if we get three points on Tuesday night, then they've also got a game to play as well so who knows what will happen in that, we'll move on to the next one, and then on to the next one after that, it's going to be so exciting into the final game of the season Coventry at home."