SAINTS skipper James Ward-Prowse has insisted “we can still make the season a very positive one” following his side’s exit in the FA Cup quarter-final. The 27-year-old midfielder travels to join up with Gareth Southgate’s England squad off the back of a four-match losing streak with the St Mary’s outfit. All momentum of a seven-match unbeaten run was cut short with a humiliating 4-0 hammering at Villa Park, in which former star Danny Ings got on the scoresheet in his first meeting with Saints since leaving last summer. However, Ward-Prowse insists he is still ambitious of ending the season strong.
James Ward-Prowse said: “I think prior to the day we knew the position we were in – quarter-final of the FA Cup and 11th in the league. Unfortunately, the cup competition has come to an end but we’re still 11th. We still have a good handful of games to play and points to win and we can still make the season a very positive one and finish inside that top 10.”
Kevin De Bruyne capitalised on a Mohammed Salisu error to bury a penalty and restore the English champions’ lead, before substitutes Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez made Che Adams’ close-range miss pay with goals of their own. City had not found a way to defeat Hasenhuttl’s side in the Premier League this campaign, with 0-0 and 1-1 draws respectively, but were able to turn it on for the big moment.
James Ward-Prowse added: “It’s disappointing to lose in the way that we did. I think we showed the strength that we’ve got against the ball and created some good chances ourselves. Against the big teams, you have to be solid, you’ve got to have a bit of luck and you can’t give too much away either. And in the end we gave away too much and they punished us. It’s a combination of a few things. When you create chances you have to take them – especially against the top teams. It (the Che Adams chance at 2-1) was a key moment in the game. Obviously the penalty changed the game completely but then we’ve had a chance straight after to hopefully get back into it.”
