PAUL Onuachu was relieved to end his 718-day wait for a Saints goal and insisted they will "keep fighting" following a 3-2 defeat at Nottingham Forest.

Onuachu, 30, and Jan Bednarek scored to pull Saints within a goal of a comeback draw but the Poland international was denied an equaliser by Ola Aina's clearance.

Former Genk forward Onuachu headed past Matz Sels in the first of 12 additional minutes to give Saints fans hope despite their side falling 3-0 behind.

Onuachu, who started the game on the bench, was delighted to score his first goal and dedicated it to the supporters who have shown patience towards him.

“It’s a good feeling to get but the circumstances are we ended up losing and we are at the bottom of the table," he told the Daily Echo

"It would have been nice if we won to celebrate with the fans. It’s a positive thing, the fans have been waiting a long time for me to score and have supported me.

"They've been brilliant. Even though we've been last in the table they've been travelling everywhere. I'm just going to dedicate this goal to them.

"They're cheering for me when sometimes I've played a good game or played not such a good game. It’s really nice to score for them. It would have been nice to go home with a win for them.

"We will keep fighting. We’ve had some good moments, against Manchester United and now against Nottingham Forest, but the result just isn't coming."

Saints failed to cause high-flying Nottingham Forest any problems until the second half and shipped three first-half goals for the fourth time this season.

Paul Onuachu joined Saints in the 2023 winter transfer window.Paul Onuachu joined Saints in the 2023 winter transfer window. (Image: PA) Onuachu watched on from the bench as Bednarek's loose touch presented Callum Hudson-Odoi a chance to score from distance and Aina was allowed to cross for the red-hot Chris Wood.

Premier League stats suggest that Saints players have committed 17 errors leading to a goal this season. Onuachu demanded better concentration levels

“It was a good second half, we had a lot of energy in the second half. We (the substitutes) tried to come on and impact the game but we lost," he explained.

“We have to keep taking it one game at a time. We lost because of the mistakes we made. They didn’t create incredible chances, (their goals came from) individual mistakes from us.

“It’s all about focus and concentration levels, especially when you come to away game. The Forest fans are cheering so we have to be concentrated in every second.

“It’s football, it happens. Sometimes you miss focus but we have to work towards it and the manager knows how to handle it."