Saints go into their last three games of the season looking to finish with a flourish and secure not only 8th position but their best ever points total in a Premier league season on two fronts.
In the Premier League age Saints highest total of points in a season is a little complicated, if we take a 42 game season then the 54 points amassed in 1994/95 is their top score, but nowadays we only play 38 games and if we take that as the benchmark then the 52 points we achieved in 2000/01 when we finished 10th and the same total was replicated in 2002/03 when we hit 8th spot for what along with an FA cup final appearance remains our best ever season overall in perhaps the last three decades.
So we do in fact have a joint target to aim for, 3 points would see us equal our best haul for 38 games but might not see us equal our best ever position in the Premier League, whereas 5 points would also equal our best ever total per se and would probably assure us of that 8th spot, ideally we would get 6 points and smash both.
Of course there is a little bit of deflation amongst Saints fans in the way the season has petered out, it has been one of ups and down in terms of league form, we seem to have racked up our points in short bursts interspersed by periods of poor form, the draw at Villa is at the end of a six game run that has seen us pick up only 7 points, the sad thing is that if we had played to our potential in these games we would be sat just behind Man Utd and fancy our chances of overhauling them in a last day show down and perhaps sneaking 7th which if Arsenal dont make the Champions League but win the FA Cup could have seen us snatch a Europa League spot.
But there is still something to play for and that is a record points total or should i say two record points totals, given our last three games it will be a big ask to hit 54 but it is something to go for.
This season has at times been exciting and at others frustrating, at one time it looked to have been heading for our best ever season in the Premier League without question, indeed it really should have been and we should be looking forward to an FA Cup Final appearance to equal those heady days of 2003, alas its not to be and therefore this season will sit in second place in the rankings in terms of achievement, however it has been a good one and something we can build on for next year.