Harwood-Bellis: There’s more to come
Match-winner Taylor Harwood-Bellis still feels there’s more to come, despite the 1-0 win at QPR extending Saints’ unbeaten run to 15 games in the Sky Bet Championship.
The defender volleyed home just before the break to give Russell Martin’s side the lead, an advantage they held onto despite being reduced to 10-men late on when Shea Charles was shown a second yellow card.
The first of four games in the space of 10 days over the festive period, Harwood-Bellis was pleased with an effective afternoon at both ends of the pitch.
“We're buzzing in there,” he said. “I thought we played some good stuff. Obviously dug in second half and it's good to get the three points and celebrate with the fans at the end.
“It's really difficult [at Loftus Road] with the atmosphere and the small pitch. I thought it didn't change the way we played. We still moved for each other, supported each other with intensity and the way we won the ball back I thought was relentless throughout the second half.
“I thought the midfielders and the strikers and the whole team to be fair just defended really, really well. We had to get to the crucial chances and defend them and I thought we were top.”
Despite being on the club’s longest unbeaten run in the league since 1950, the on-loan defender admitted that focus only remains on the next game ahead.
“I think we're looking really good and that's down to the intensity in training and the confidence in each other and the way we train and come in every day and want to get better and want to learn more. There's still more to come. I don't think we're the finished article yet.
“I think just the way we play out from the back and get the ball forward and got to be patient at times, I think it's incredible and everyone does it, not just the starting 11 but the people that come on, it doesn't change and that's down to training as well.
To be fair not many people have been talking about it [the unbeaten run] too much. I think you have got to forget about and it's a cliche, but go on to the next game. This game is done now. We'll review it and find out what we've done well and what we can do better for the next game, and just focus on winning the next game. Obviously 15 games unbeaten, it's an incredible run and hopefully it can carry on.”
