Theo Walcott has warned Southampton's relegation rivals, including Nottingham Forest, that the Saints "don’t mind" chasing the pack when it comes to survival at the end of the season.
Southampton remain bottom of the Premier League table, despite fighting back from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 with Tottenham on Saturday afternoon. The point moves them to within two of 17th place, although their goal difference is much worse.
It also means that they are just three points behind Forest in 16th position, with the Saints currently having a better goal difference than the Reds. The congested bottom half of the table, in which the bottom nine teams are separated by just four points, sets it up for both a thrilling and nerve-wracking end of the season for the teams involved.
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Walcott, who was on the scoresheet for Southampton against Spurs, has now sent a warning to teams above Ruben Selles’ men in the league as the race for survival hots up.
"Do you know what? I don't mind chasing the pack to be fair, at this moment in time," he told the club’s official website.
"Yes, I suppose you want to have the points to some extent, but I feel like we are playing well to chase all these guys and those above us aren't particularly playing great.
"So I know where I would want to be right now, in a squad that is hungry, wants to work hard and wants to get results for each other, and I think that showed [against Tottenham]."
Southampton face what will be a crucial game against relegation rivals West Ham in their next outing after the international break. A win could move them off the bottom of the league and out of the relegation zone, depending on other results.
Forest meanwhile, also face a crucial clash as they take on another team involved in the relegation scrap in Wolves. The Reds host Julen Lopetegui’s side at the City Ground on Saturday 1 April (3pm kick off).
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