Cape Town - Mark Hughes insists Southampton are not "downhearted" despite blowing the chance to boost their slim survival hopes.
Southampton could only manage a goalless draw at out-of-form Leicester City on Thursday, with the point doing little to give the Saints hope of beating the drop.
Hughes' side are now four points adrift of fourth bottom Swansea, and have played a game more than the Welsh side after just one Premier League win in 21 outings.
But new boss Hughes insists his players haven’t accepted that relegation is inevitable.
"Clearly we would have liked to have been more expansive but we got a point, and we play at home next which is huge for us," said Hughes.
"Only time will tell to see whether the point is enough for us. There was a little bit of apprehension in our play which is understandable, but I can't fault the players, they put in a shift during a warm evening.
"The players are a little bit flat and we have got a big game at the weekend but we are not in the situation where we are downhearted. It's the disappointment of not getting maximum points, but the key was to get something from the game."