Southampton

Martin Sanders
Southampton FC fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

As a Southampton supporter, I had been counting down the days to the play-off final on Saturday.

After a season where Saints produced some of the best football and consistency I've seen in years, it finally felt like the club was building real momentum again.

But over the last week and a bit, that excitement has been completely overshadowed by the allegations surrounding the club.

When the first stories emerged accusing Southampton of spying on Middlesbrough, I honestly thought it was just an attempt to unsettle Saints before such a massive game.

But once the EFL confirmed charges had been brought against the club, the mood amongst supporters quickly changed from disbelief to concern.

Suddenly, everyone was asking the same questions - how could this happen, who was responsible, and why was it allowed to reach this point?

What makes the whole situation even more disappointing is that Southampton Football Club is full of hardworking and genuine people.

From the incredible work done by the Saints Foundation to the staff behind the scenes, there are so many people connected to the club who care deeply about its reputation.

That is why these allegations feel so damaging, regardless of what the final outcome may be.

If wrongdoing is proven, then there absolutely has to be accountability within the club.

I just hope we can all go to Wembley on Saturday and enjoy the occasion, although, with everything that has happened it's hard to pretend it will feel quite the same as two years ago should we win.

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Hull City's full focus is on facing Southampton in the Championship play-off final at Wembley on Saturday afternoon, assistant manager Dean Holden has said.

Holden joined Mark Chapman on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club amid continued uncertainty over the fixture as we await the verdict of the English Football League's independent disciplinary commission's investigation into allegations Southampton spied on Middlesbrough's training session ahead of the first leg of their semi-final earlier this month.

Holden said: "We're preparing fully to play Southampton on Saturday at 16:30 BST - that's what we've been told by the EFL. If anything changes in the next couple days then we'll have to adapt to that."

Holden accepted the gruelling Championship season, which features 46 games and regular intervals of three-days between games, means they can adapt if necessary.

"The key thing for us as staff is make sure to be as concise as possible," he said. "There's obviously going to be a lot of emotion, a lot of nervous energy, going into such a big occasion and for us it's about the players going out there and not overthinking.

"We've adapted well to teams that we're playing against, to suffering a lot of injuries and we've found ways to win.

"We can't afford to take our eyes off it and start trying to overcomplicate this situation."

He added: "It's such a unique situation. We've had two great results against Southampton. We've got a dossier on every team we've played against, we watched both semi-finals in detail. We've got a good understanding on all the teams.

"The full focus is and will remain on Southampton. If we're asking our analyst team, which is quite small, to prepare for two games we're asking for problems."

Holden said there was a 'great atmosphere' in training and: "There doesn't seem any anxiety at the moment. We can't get away from the noise, it's everywhere you turn, but the gaffer's [Sergej Jakirovic] been great with his messaging.

"We've trained as normal on Monday. It won't affect our training until we get a result [from the commission]."

You can listen to that on BBC Sounds highlights of the show here. Dean Holden's interview is at 48:12.

Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert praised his side for "digging deep" in their play-off win over Middlesbrough.

Saints came from behind to win in dramatic fashion on the night, as Shea Charles found the net with just four minutes of extra time remaining.

Eckert's side will now face Hull City at Wembley on 23 May for the chance to win promotion to the Premier League.

"The crowd was fantastic, it was a very special atmosphere when we came to the stadium," he told BBC Radio Solent.

"Today we had to dig very deep and credit to the players for doing that over 120 minutes, I think over both legs it was very well deserved.

"I just said to the boys that we are not finished yet, you can be happy about the result but there is more to do.

Eckert was also asked for the latest on the EFL charge over spying on Middlesbrough before the first leg of their play-off games.

Southampton put out another statement on Tuesday morning to share that they were conducting an internal review into the situtation.

"We've managed well to not let this distract the team but we take the matter very seriously," Eckert added.

"It's not easy for me but the club has made another statement and since it is an ongoing investigation there is not more to add, I will say something just not now."