SOARAWAY Saints are on the verge of their best start to a season for an amazing 103 years.
Victory over Birmingham at St Mary’s on Sunday will make it six wins and just one solitary defeat to start the Championship campaign.
That would be a better opening run than Saints have managed since they joined the Football League way back in 1920 – 91 years ago.
It would also be their best start since the 1908/09 Southern League campaign!
It goes to underline the remarkable form Saints have shown in this campaign.
Though some of the seasons over the previous 91 years have been at top flight level, others have been below the second tier in which Saints are currently competing.
Nigel Adkins’ Saints have smashed a string of records with their flying form at the back end of last season and the start of this.
The match against Birmingham will also see them go for 13 straight home league wins.
If Saints were to draw with Birmingham it would equal their best Football League start.
They kicked off the 1920/21 season, 1921/22, 1935/36, 1953/54, 1956/57 and 1965/66 campaigns with five wins, one loss and one draw in their first seven games.
They have not managed six wins from their first seven in the Football League era of the club.
Meanwhile, Saints last started a season with seven straight wins in the 1908/09 Southern League.
Prior to that, they lost the first game of the 1898/99 season before winning the next nine.
Two seasons earlier Saints had won their opening nine Southern League games, drawing the tenth before winning the next two as well.
Unsurprisingly, Saints won the title that season, winning 15 and drawing five of their 20 league games.
Saints have the added bonus of plenty of extra rest as compared to Birmingham.
The game was originally due to be a Saturday evening kick-off televised live on Sky but got bumped to Sunday due to the Blues qualifying for the group stages of the Europa League.
That means Birmingham will host Braga at St Andrew’s on Thursday, giving them just three days before they take on Saints.
In contrast, Nigel Adkins’ men have had a clear week to get themselves prepared following their victory over Nottingham Forest.
Source: Daily Echo