Adkins: Are Tzu ready for battle?

Southampton manager Nigel Adkins has turned to some Chinese military strategy to get his side over the line and back to the Premier League.

Saints take on Middlesbrough on Saturday evening knowing a victory will seal promotion whatever third-placed West Ham do at Leicester on Monday. Adkins is a big fan of the work of Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu and will not be taking his opponents lightly when he goes into battle at the Riverside. "We've still got two games to go and we've got to focus on what's going to be a very challenging game at the weekend against Middlesbrough - they've still got aspirations to get into the play-offs, they need to win, we need to win," he said. "It's Sun Tzu 'The Art of War'. Never, ever underestimate the opposition as we well know. "We've got a winning mentality here and our objective is to win every game, so that's what we are looking to do."