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News and Views from the Football League - Saints' Wembley glory to inspire promotion?
The Football League has dished out its annual knock-out competition silverware following an entertaining fixture at Wembley on Sunday afternoon. A match which saw five goals fly in ended up in favour of Southampton, with Carlisle making the long trip home to Cumbria with their tails between their legs having found themselves on the wrong end of a 4-1 scoreline.
The Saints’ victory at Wembley is their first domestic success since 1976, when Lawrie McMenemy’s side defeated Manchester United to claim the F.A. Cup, and it comes as a welcome boost having struggled since their relegation from the top flight in 2005. The drop to the Championship was followed by seasons of financial uncertainty which ultimately saw the club relegated again and start this campaign in League One with a ten point penalty. However, it was not long before Saints had overhauled their nearest rivals and with the club on a much stronger financial footing, Sunday’s success could be just the tip of the iceberg for what might be waiting around the corner.
Under Alan Pardew’s management, Southampton have thrived on the pitch and boast a wealth of talent that should rightly be on display at a higher level. Rickie Lambert was brought in for £1m from Bristol Rovers (indicative of a new financial start for the club) and has certainly lived up to his price tag by firing Saints up the division since his arrival. The midfield boasts the young talent of Adam Lallana, who broke into the side at Championship level and despite being linked with a move to Wolves over the summer, he remains on the south coast. He will no doubt feature in a higher division in years to come if he keeps developing like he is. Just a quick look at the squad shows why Saints have performed so well this season. The playing staff features a wealth of experience which would be hard to match anywhere else in the Football League. Rahdi Jaïdi, Chris Perry, Kelvin Davis and Graeme Murty are all presently on the wage bill at St. Mary’s and will no doubt add an incredible amount of value to the team, and make Pardew’s job of managing the squad that much easier.
The match itself was mostly one way traffic, despite a bright start from Carlisle. Pardew, dressed in jacket on top of tracksuit top, had his side well organised from the outset. They looked composed on the ball and demonstrated their superiority all over the pitch with goals coming from all sources. An early penalty resulted in Lambert putting Saints in front and although the Cumbrians showed signs of a fight back, Southampton seemed too strong for their opposition and doubled their lead through Lallana just before the break. Pardew’s men looked comfortable following the break and extended their advantage further through goals from on loan Fiorentina striker Papa Waigo and also Michail Antonio. Carlisle, appearing in the final of the competition for a record fifth time could only manage a late consolation, as Gary Madine headed home from an Ian Harte free-kick.
Jubilant Saints fans made their exit from Wembley and were last seen singing and dancing their way home across the capital, whilst those in blue were left to ponder what might have been. Southampton fan Nick Tudor had this to say: “It’s fantastic! After what we have been through for the last few years it means everything to the fans. It means hope, it means a chance of salvation, and most of all, something to put in the trophy cabinet. Southampton football club is the heart and soul of our city. Now there is hope of a club and city united again.”
The two sides will now return to league action with both still having much to play for. A quick glance at the league table suggests that the Cumbrians should be playing League One football next season, but manager Greg Abbott will want a few more points on the board before they can rest on their laurels. Perhaps some defensive work will be the order of the day at the next training session. As for Southampton, they will still feel they are in with a shout of making the play-offs. What a phenomenal achievement that would be for a side who started the season with a points deduction. No doubt the confidence that Sunday’s result will have brought will spur them on in their quest.
A crowd over 73,000 were on hand at Wembley for the final, with well over 40,000 of those cheering on Southampton. It’s great to see that such support still exists for a club that has recently endured much hardship. With such a phenomenal number on hand, it would be even better if this victory can be a catalyst for an increase in numbers through the turnstiles at St. Mary’s, as the club look to push on for a return to the Championship. It would be a massive ask to achieve a play-off appearance this season, but nobody is ruling it out and with the talent in the squad and confidence clearly at a high, there is every reason to be optimistic. Southampton is a city rightly proud of its football team again. Long may the revival continue.
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