No 'extra motivation' for Southampton in Bournemouth clash, insists Martin | OneFootball

Russell Martin insists that he has no “extra motivation” in Southampton’s clash with Bournemouth.

The Premier League returnees go in search of a first win of the season when they travel to their South Coast counterparts in Monday.

But Martin is adamant the Saints will approach the encounter in the same way as any other, despite acknowledging fans’ heightened anticipation.

“The fans will be desperate for us to put in a performance, not just because of the locality of the team we’re playing against, because we want to win and we need to win,” said Martin.

“I haven’t been given any extra motivation by anyone here and I haven’t placed any extra onus on the game because of that.

“We’ll go there and treat it in the same way we would any other game.”

The Southampton manager also reflected on Tyler Dibling’s first-team breakthrough after scoring his first senior goal in last weekend’s draw with Ipswich Town.

“He was unfortunate not to play earlier because he had an amazing pre-season,” admitted Martin.

“He has an incredible belief in himself, in a humble, modest way. He has to just keep giving 100% and understanding what has got him this far.

“At this moment he couldn’t play for every team – he suits the way we play a lot, he’s getting so much better at the things he needs to improve on, but he needs to continue to grow and develop and stay so hungry.

“That’s always the challenge with young players when they have a quick rise. With Tyler, I don’t see that being a problem.”

Southampton currently sit 18th in the league table after picking up just one point from their opening five matches.