Southampton's highest Premier League finish to date is eighth, which they achieved under the guidance of Gordon Strachan in 2003.

When the Saints, plagued by financial problems, were relegated to the third tier of English football in April 2009, it looked as though that record would remain intact for a long time to come.

However, fast-forward to November 2013 and the South Coast club sat third in the Premier League table with 22 points from their first 11 games.

Their form has since dipped, but, at the midway point of the 2013-14 season, Southampton harbour realistic ambitions of making this campaign their best ever in the modern top flight.

Below, Sports Mole looks back at the first four-and-a-half months of what has been a remarkable season at St Mary's.

August

International friendlies are often whinged about, but Southampton forward Rickie Lambert certainly enjoyed England's match against Scotland on August 14. The 31-year-old marked his Three Lions debut by netting the winner with his first touch in a 3-2 win at Wembley.

Lambert's fine week continued three days later when he scored a last-minute penalty to give the Saints a 1-0 victory at West Bromwich Albion on the Premier League's opening day. Both of Southampton's big pre-season purchases - Croatian defender Dejan Lovren and Kenyan midfield powerhouse Victor Wanyama - made their debuts at The Hawthorns. Just 24 hours later, Italy striker Pablo Osvaldo became the third big-money arrival at St Mary's when he completed a club-record £15m move from Roma.

Osvaldo made his debut as a substitute in a 1-1 draw with Sunderland, which was followed three days later by a 5-1 victory at Barnsley in the Capital One Cup. The month ended with a 1-0 defeat at Norwich City.

September

Lambert's international exploits again dominated the headlines at the start of September. He made it two goals in two caps, rewarding England boss Roy Hodgson's decision to start him against Moldova by finding the net in a 4-0 cruise.

Southampton did not concede a single goal in this month. After drawing 0-0 with West Ham United at St Mary's, the Saints recorded a memorable 1-0 win over Liverpool, beating the Reds at Anfield for just the third time in 30 visits. The South Coast side advanced to the third round of the Capital One Cup by easing past Bristol City 2-0. Crystal Palace were then beaten by the same scoreline in a game that saw Osvaldo score his first goal for his new employers.

October

Southampton recorded their third consecutive 2-0 win. This time, Swansea City were on the receiving end as Adam Lallana and Jay Rodriguez got their names on the scoresheet. Lallana struck again two weeks later to secure an impressive 1-1 draw at Manchester United.

Just as they had done in September, the Saints ended October unbeaten. A dominant display and a 2-0 success over Fulham secured the achievement, as well as the Manager of the Month award for boss Mauricio Pochettino.

November

A freak goal from Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic saw Southampton fall behind inside the opening minute at the Britannia Stadium on November 2. However, Rodriguez rescued a 1-1 draw, which extended the Saints' unbeaten streak to eight games. That run came to an end four days later when Pochettino's men were dumped out of the Capital One Cup after losing 2-1 at Sunderland.

Hull City felt the full force of Southampton's frustration in the following game as the Tigers were hammered 4-1 at St Mary's. Lallana scored his third goal of the season in the trouncing and things soon got even better for the 25-year-old as he, along with Rodriguez and Lambert, was called up to the England squad. Lallana and Rodriguez made their senior international debuts as starters in the 2-0 defeat to Chile. Lallana also featured for 76 minutes in the 1-0 loss to Germany.

Southampton had climbed to fourth in the Premier League following their big win over Hull, but they ended November in seventh place after losing 2-0 at table-toppers Arsenal.

December

Southampton had conceded just three goals in their first nine Premier League matches of the season, but the Saints defence was unable to reproduce that form in December. In seven games, they kept only one clean sheet. This was a significant factor as Pochettino's side collected five points from a possible 21.

Rodriguez gave Southampton a first-minute lead over Chelsea, but the Blues stormed back to win 3-1 at Stamford Bridge on December 1. The South Coast outfit shipped three goals again three days later as Aston Villa edged a high-scoring affair at St Mary's. Respectable 1-1 draws against Manchester City and Newcastle United temporarily stopped the rot, before Tottenham Hotspur inflicted more misery on the Saints by coming from behind to win a five-goal thriller in Hampshire.

Cardiff City's Christmas hangover was fully exposed on Boxing Day as Southampton eased to a 3-0 win in South Wales, but the Saints ended 2013 with a 2-1 defeat at Everton, leaving them with 27 points at the season's midway point.