SPARKY: OUR DIRE STRAITS AT HOME ARE NOW OVER

MARK HUGHES is confident Southampton have removed the “straitjacket” that was restricting them at home.

Their recent St Mary’s woes date back to Claude Puel’s days in charge when they ended his sole season as manager by failing to score in their final six games on their own patch.

The Saints’ home sickness continued last season under Mauricio Pellegrino and Hughes, who was appointed in March.

They finished last season with the second-worst home record in the league, winning just four times on their own patch, and scored only 20 goals in 19 games.

Hughes (above), whose side host Brighton on Monday, said: “I sense there is more freedom about our play at home. There is a good energy in the stadium now in terms of fans seeing a real difference in our play in terms of our attitude to the game and what we’re trying to do.

“That filters back to the players and they’re encouraged. Certainly it seemed when I first came into the building there was a bit of a straitjacket in terms of apprehension before home games. I think that’s gone.

“Performances – not necessarily the results we would have wanted – have been decent when the crowd was with us and could see what we were trying to do, when we were trying to be more positive.

“That will continue because that’s the way I want us to play. Long-term that will bring us the results at home that you need to sustain a good Premier League season.”