RALPH Hasenhuttl admits his side are not helped by the pressure to perform at St Mary’s - as they aim to avoid an unwanted club record.

Saints’ 2-1 defeat against Burnley was their eighth loss in 13 Premier League home games this season – more than any other side.

Hasenhuttl believes the level of expectation does not help his players, as they seek to avoid a third successive St Mary’s loss against Aston Villa on Saturday.

“Sometimes it is a little difficult to play at home,” he admitted.

“Against Burnley everyone expects that we are 3-0 up after ten minutes. It is a little hard to show this, this is a pressure guys aren’t used to carrying.

“In away games no-one expects anything from us. Maybe that’s the reason we perform better in away games.”

Not since 2009, when they were beaten nine times at St Mary’s en route to relegation from the Championship, have Saints lost more home league games in one season.

Their record number of home league defeats in a post-war campaign is the ten they lost at The Dell in 1993-94.

So with six games still to play at St Mary’s this season - against Aston Villa, Newcastle, Arsenal, Manchester City, Brighton and Sheffield United – they are in danger of setting an unwanted new club record.