SAINTS Women's head coach Remi Allen urged supporters to "keep coming back" despite a poor performance and 2-0 defeat to Sunderland.

Saints Women returned to action in front of a club-record league attendance at St Mary's Stadium for their first fixture of 2025 on Sunday.

Despite the result on the pitch, the clash with Sunderland proved to be another milestone moment as 7,012 supporters were part of a record-breaking crowd.

It was the second-highest attended game in women's football across England on Sunday, only beaten by the Manchester derby in the Women's Super League.

The figure beat Saints Women's all-time league record of 5,145 against local rivals Portsmouth back in the Women's National League.

Speaking after the match, Allen said: "I was delighted when I heard the amount of fans that are in the building, which is great.

"Obviously, it's a poor performance so that hasn't helped, but we're better than that and we just want the fans to keep coming back.

"There's going to be ups and downs in the season. If every season was perfect and every performance would be brilliant, then we'd probably be somewhere else.

"We have to accept that, but we have to obviously keep pushing on and getting better so hopefully the fans come back and support us even more."

Allen added: "Listen, we're frustrated, frustrated to hell. Sunderland wanted it more. I think it wasn't anything to do with sort of tactical or technical detail.

"They just had more desire, had more heart, and we didn't match that. We know they're a northern side, we know they're going to bring a physicality to them.

"We lacked a cutting edge and I don't think it was good enough defensively. I think we were opened up far too much on transition."

Saints Women boss Remi Allen. (Image: Southampton FC/Chris Moorhouse)

The defeat left Allen's side in eighth position, nine points clear of Blackburn Rovers in ninth but the worst performing of a closely packed top half.

Saints Women are back in action with the long trip to fifth-place Durham on Sunday and Allen has laid down the gauntlet for her regular stars.

"It's on them, they're professionals. They have to come back fighting. Everybody's place is up for grabs next week based on that performance," she said.

"We'll be there for the right times to lift them, but we're also there to challenge them and push them - and they're top pros.

"They know that was not good enough and they're frustrated. You can see it in their faces. So I'm hoping for a big bounce back come Tuesday.

"I want to see intensity. I want to see desire. I want to see passion. I want to see them moving. I want them working hard, pressing, being aggressive, first and second balls."