Southampton striker Charlie Austin has admitted that his team have given themselves "a mountain to climb" following Saturday's 3-0 defeat to West Ham United at the London Stadium.
Southampton have struggled for form in the second half of the campaign, and currently sit 18th in the Premier League table having managed just 28 points from 31 league fixtures this term.
Austin has conceded that the Saints 'were not good enough' against West Ham, but the striker is confident in his team's chances of avoiding dropping into the Championship.
"It just wasn't good enough, we need to pull our finger out and do it sharpish. There are seven games to go and we've given ourselves a mountain to climb," Austin told reporters.
"We've got to win fast and get out of the hole we're in. We're fortunate that results are half going our way, to keep everyone around it. We need the fans to believe we can get out of this mess. We have seven games to go now.
"That's what it comes down to and we need to put all our energy into that. I know it's hard to do after watching that performance but that's what we have to do. Come the end of the season, Southampton needs to be a Premier League club and we need to push in one direction."
Next up for Southampton is a trip to Arsenal next weekend.
