RALPH Hasenhuttl is repaying the faith shown to him by Saints following their 9-0 defeat to Leicester.

The Austrian has guided the St Mary’s side to seven points out of nine, beating Watford and Norwich, while earning a draw against Arsenal.

Hasenhuttl’s confidence took a battering after the Leicester mauling and it’s understood by the Daily Echo that chief executive Martin Semmens played a key role in boosting his morale.

This led to Saints having a complete reset over the international break – and it’s clearly paying off.

After the Norwich win on Wednesday night, Hasenhuttl admitted it “wasn’t normal” for a club to stand by their boss after such a heavy loss.

However, after being reassured by the key figures above him that his job was safe, the manager was able to focus on what needed to be done to turn Saints’ fortunes around.

He knew that the games against Watford, Norwich, Newcastle, West Ham and Aston Villa were going to shape the club’s season.

And with the first two of those resulting in wins, the St Mary’s outfit have moved out of the relegation zone.

His approach on the training ground went back to when he first joined the club a year ago with the squad immediately buying into it.

Gone were the players playing out of position – looking confused on the pitch - and back came his favoured 4-2-2-2 formation.

Although Saints weren’t great against Watford, their performance last night should satisfy Hasenhuttl.

The first half was arguably their best attacking display of the season, with the second 45 being a dogged showing at the back.

If they were going to crumble it would’ve happened after Teemu Pukki got a goal back for the Canaries.

But that didn’t happen.

They dug deep and saw the game out, despite Norwich upping the ante as the final whistle loomed.

This should give them plenty of confidence for their long trip to Newcastle on Sunday, where they will be looking to avenge last season’s 3-1 defeat.

And due to the nature of this year’s Premier League, only four points separate Saints from Arsenal in 10th position.

So with another couple of wins under their belt, it won't be long until they start hovering around mid-table and move away from the relegation zone.