STEVEN Davis admits because of Saints’ perilous position at the foot of the Premier League they subconsciously play too safely.

On many occasions this season Mauricio Pellegrino’s struggling side have dropped deep and tried to protect a lead only to be undone and drop vital points.

This was on full show again at Watford on Saturday as Saints surrendered a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2.

It isn’t, however, anything tactical by Pellegrino but to do with the players’ confidence.

“The minimum requirement is to go out there and work hard and try and to do your job to the best of your ability,” said Davis.

“Sometimes the quality can be questionable and we can play better with the ball, especially in the second half [at Watford] when we could have controlled the game in possession.

“But that’s a little bit of a knock on affect from the position we’re in.

“In this position you’re subconsciously thinking that you don’t want to make those errors, meaning we’re playing a bit safely at times.

“There’s a lot of quality in that dressing room, we just need to go out and show that belief and quality between now and the end of the season.”

During the 1-0 win over Fulham in the FA Cup recently, the 5,000-strong contingent of Saints fans at Vicarage Road chanted ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’ when Pellegrino made substitutions they didn’t agree with and also booed the under pressure boss.

In contrast, the travelling support at Vicarage Road sang their hearts out and backed the team throughout – even as Saints sat back and came under increasing pressure in the second half.

“I thought they were excellent, they stayed behind us the whole game and that’s what we need,” said Davis.

“Of course, that’s what we spoke about, the most important thing in a difficult moment is that everyone stays together and everyone is pulling in the same direction.

“That goes from top to bottom of the club and also the fans play a major part in that as well. I thought they were great today.”

The 33-year-old says that this kind of “energy” from the supporters helps the team during a tricky time.

“Of course, especially second half, it gives you that energy to keep going in the game,” he said.

“ Not that you need anything extra but it can definitely add to it and bring energy to the team.”