George Burley was handed a Stern warning as Saints edged another five-goal thriller against West Brom.
Stern John scored twice in the 3-2 win to stake a strong claim for a regular place. With leading marksman Grzegorz Rasiak and in-form striker Bradley Wright-Phillips both injured, John was handed his first start at St Mary's.
And he made the most of it with two poacher's goals including the winner after visitors had fought back from two down. First he chested an Inigo Idiakez chip before ramming a venomous shot just inside the right post then he was on hand to flick in from close range in a crowded goalmouth.
He also struck up a good partnership with Marek Saganowski who went close on several occasions to leave Burley with food for thought. John said: "I hope I have staked a claim. I have been waiting for my chance over the last few weeks. "It has been frustrating but the other strikers have been doing really well so I have had to be patient but hopefully I have shown what I can do. "It was a case of staying focused, working hard and waiting for my chance and I hope I have taken it. "I was pleased with the first goal. I got myself open and in a good position and it was a nice pass. "As a striker you just want to hit the target and that's what I concentrated on doing and it flew in. "The second was just a nick, just me being at the back post for a tap-in. It came off someone and I just flicked it in but it was definitely my goal. "It was crucial to get back in front so soon after they equalised. It was disappointing to see them get level and we needed to hit back quickly. "We needed this result after the disappointment at Preston in midweek although I don't think the 5-1 scoreline reflected the game. "The fans wanted to see a reaction from us and it was good to send them home happy. With a 15-day gap before the next game it would have been a long time to dwell on a defeat."
The Trinidad and Tobago striker has seen enough in his short time at the club to know they are capable of emulating Sunderland last season. John was part of the Black Cats team which recovered from a bad start to storm through to the title and he believes Saints can do the same.
He added: "Promotion is the goal and I would not have come here if I did not think we could achieve that. "We have already shown we can beat the better teams in this division but we need some consistency. "I can understand the fans being frustrated, especially those who travelled a long way to Preston in midweek to see us lose like that. "But they need to stick with us and trust the manager and the players and hopefully we can push on from here."