Aston Villa boss Dean Smith says he'll keep fighting after defeat at Southampton on Friday night.
Adam Armstrong's early goal helped Southampton continue their Premier League revival as they inflicted a fifth defeat in a row on Aston Villa.
Smith said: "We started [well] the first couple of minutes, then a cross hits Matty Cash on the bum and drops down for their lad who hits a superb half-volley to score. That knocked the stuffing out of us.
"When you're on a bad run, something like that is hard to take. They were the better team in the first half.
"We got them in at half-time and put it right. Bailey played down the middle and Buendia off the right and we looked a totally different team. We played with intensity in the second half.
"There was a response. You can't question the character of the players. We have a few injuries. Some of our subs were academy graduates. I don't like making excuses. We shouldn't be losing five games on the spin.
"We can get some players back to fitness during the international break and come back stronger.
"You'd like a game in the next three or four days but we can't.
"The fans were great tonight. You heard the backing from the fans. It's a results-based industry. We have to get better. We looked nervous after their goal but second half was the intensity I want to see."
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