Jesus Perez says Guly do Prado’s first goal for more than two years proved the spirit in the Saints camp remains strong.

The Brazilian broke his long drought with a first half penalty in the 2-0 FA Cup fourth round win over Yeovil.

It was Do Prado’s first goal since he netted in the 3-0 win at Nottingham Forest on January 14, 2012, when Saints were still in the Championship.

It is believed that Jay Rodriguez was expected to take the penalty but sportingly handed the ball over to his teammate to enable him to take the chance.

It was a real show of solidarity as the dressing room closed ranks following the events which led to Dani Osvaldo receiving a two week suspension.

It was only Guly’s second start of the season, with his first coming in the League Cup against Bristol City in September, and only his second first team outing since the end of October.

Saints assistant manager Jesus Perez said: “We have great spirit, we have a great group. Always we say the same since we came here.

“The secret of this group is that it’s a hard working team, good inside the dressing room and just proof of this situation.

“It was very good for Guly to take the ball and score because that situation showed the players trust him.”

He added: “I am happy for him and the squad because it’s one player more to support the squad in the final part of the season.

“Guly stayed away from the team because of a serious injury and he’s doing well, he’s working hard and deserves to be playing some minutes.

“It was an important moment for us to score the first goal because the team managed to relax and play better.”

Saints were watched from the directors’ box by club owner and non-executive chairman Katharina Liebherr.

Perez insisted she didn’t speak to the players at any stage during the day and that their focus was solely on making it to the fifth round.

“Our aim was to stay in the next round,” he explained.

“It wasn’t an easy game, like all FA Cup games.

“The first half was open, they had some chances to score and at the beginning of the second half as well, but in the second half we played better and better and created a lot of chances – enough to win.”