Southampton

Southampton were far from their best in a cagey 0-0 draw away to West Bromwich Albion in the first leg of their play-off semi-final, but the goalless scoreline means that it is all to play for at St Mary's.

The Saints lacked their potent attacking edge, with Che Adams out through injury. The forward has netted 16 Championship goals this season. However, the visitors mostly lacked his ability to hold onto possession and link the play, with Adam Armstrong clearly suffering in his absence. The 27-year-old was quiet due to being put alongside Sekou Mara, who is utterly ineffective up front when starting.

A superb clean sheet for Alex McCarthy and more minutes for Ross Stewart were positives, with the striker getting closer to starting.

Southampton are one game away from Wembley and will be the favourites on Friday. There will be massive pressure, knowing that going out would guarantee lots of Russell Martin's stars leaving in the summer, but the atmosphere should be at its loudest in years.

The first goal will be crucial. The Saints have better players across the pitch, but Carlos Corberan is a master tactician, meaning Southampton cannot allow the Baggies to get ahead.

Harry Tizard can be found at The Saints Score, external

We asked you how you are feeling before Friday's play-off semi-final second leg against West Bromwich Albion.

It is still all to play for, but have your hopes of a play-off final place been boosted following the first-leg goalless draw?

Here are some of your comments:

Dave: If we do not capitalise on our possession and score more than one goal, I have a horrible feeling it will go to penalties and we will lose out.

Richard: We are on a knife's edge. If we go up we have a chance of retaining Downes, Harwood-Bellis, Fraser, Adams, Stuart Armstrong and Walker-Peters who would be vital to survival. If we do not go up, we will probably lose them all and become an average Championship side.

Shaun: We have the beating of the other teams in the play-offs. It's 180 minutes to rediscover the form that saw us break the club record earlier in the season. Big things were expected of Stewart and it would not surprise me to see him play a small but key role in the play-offs.

Anon: First goal is so important on Friday for either team. West Bromwich Albion will push from the off, but if Saints can get a goal inside the first 20 minutes then WBA will have to open it up and go for it. That will give Saints a chance for more goals on the break. That being said, Saints to win 3-1.

Laurie: I'm nowhere near 100% convinced. This playing out from the back strategy has cost them 19 goals by forced errors this season. I also feel that the Saints still lack Premier League quality. This is also assuming that the current players stay.

Seb: It will be a nervy game on Friday but I believe we have the pedigree to pull it off. We know that they have the talent to do it, so the players just need to prove it to themselves.

It is still all to play for - Wembley is within touching distance - as Southampton prepare to go into their play-off semi-final second leg on even terms with West Bromwich Albion.

All that stands in the way of Saints and a spot in the play-off final is an evening under the lights at St Mary's Stadium.

Will Russell Martin's side make it to Wembley? How much of an edge will their home advantage give them? Can Southampton rise to the pressure?

Let us know your thoughts here

Image source, PA Media

On the latest episode of BBC Radio Solent's Goin' Home with Adam and Jo, Adam Blackmore and former Southampton midfielder Jo Tessem reflect on the goalless first leg of Saints' Championship play-off semi-final against West Bromwich Albion and what to expect in Friday's second leg at St Mary's.

Blackmore: "Everyone in the stands has got to hold their nerves as much as we expect the players to hold their nerves, because they have a massive opportunity. They are in a situation where it is almost in their hands. West Brom's away record is poor.

"I say all that off the back of the fact that I think that was as much as West Brom could throw at Southampton - and Southampton survived it. I think West Brom gave it their best shot on Sunday and Saints didn't play as well as they can. If Saints play as well as they can and find some rhythm in their game at home, they should go on to get to Wembley."

Tessem: "And that's what we want - we want a trip to Wembley and to have a chance to get up to the Premier League again.

"Over two legs, you set yourself up for a much more positive approach if you don't have to chase anything. It's 0-0, you just have to win the game.

"I think West Brom will try to come and nick a 1-0 win, that's what we've got to avoid and that's why we had a lot of messages saying 'get an early goal and settle the nerves'. I think they are absolutely right! We don't want this to go to penalties or anything because that's just jeopardy."

Listen to more reaction to Sunday's match on BBC Sounds

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Russell Martin is hopeful Southampton striker Che Adams will play on Sunday at West Bromwich Albion for the play-off semi-final first leg.

Adams was forced off the pitch in the final game of the season at Leeds United, but Martin told the media it was "more precaution than anything" else.

The 27-year-old has made 45 appearances in all competitions and scored 18 goals.

"It was more precaution than anything," said Martin. "We have to manage him through this week a little bit and we will still manage him through the next couple of days.

"Hopefully then he will be ready to impact us on the pitch."

Saints have also been given the boost of the return of Ross Stewart, who has been out with a hamstring injury.

Stewart played seven minutes at Elland Road and has had "a great week" in training.

"He looks really good," added Martin. "He is ready to play and impact us more and have more minutes over the next couple of games.

"Whatever the shape, whoever plays, the team needs to look the same as it has done for so much of this season, and go there with the same mentality as we always have."

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Radio Solent's Adam Blackmore believes Southampton have a strong chance in the Championship play-offs, pointing to recent displays as evidence of their prospects.

Southampton travel to face West Brom on Sunday for the first leg of their semi-final and Blackmore told the Saints & Sinners podcast he was not concerned about the tie with the Baggies.

"Having gone to Elland Road [and won], they're not going to go to the Hawthorns and worry," he said. "If they get it right against West Brom - West Brom will struggle to live with them."

Should Saints make it to the final, Blackmore remains confident of securing promotion, regardless of their opponents at Wembley - and feels that Leeds United, who finished above Southampton in third place, are not to be feared.

"I think [Leeds manager] Daniel Farke has too many connections going wrong for him in these play-offs - obviously Norwich," he said of Farke's history of managing the Canaries.

"He chucked [Saints boss] Russell Martin out of Norwich - and I think Martin is going to come back to haunt him, just like he did last week."

Listen to the full episode here

Southampton will be hoping to keep their promotion hopes alive when they travel to The Hawthorns for the first-leg of their play-off semi-final against West Bromwich Albion on Sunday, 12 May.

BBC Radio Solent's Adam Blackmore and former Southampton striker Jo Tessem have been previewing the play-off semi-finals on Goin' Home With Adam and Jo, as Russell Martin's side aim to bounce straight back up to the Premier League.

Tessem discussed already doing the double over the Baggies this season and whether that will give Southampton an advantage: "Yes, especially the way we did beat them. We beat them in both games while looking like the better team - like we did against Leeds - so that gives you that confidence.

"I think it's more about Southampton concentrating on what they do best.

"If they can focus on getting it right, with forward playing possession-based football and being cynical at the end of the game.

"If they get all of that right, you can see the positivity it brings on to the pitch. You can see that people are more positive on the pitch. Even [Kamaldeen] Sulemana was down tackling in the box at the end of the Leeds game! That is the thing you need.

"You have to start doing difficult things in a positive way. That will be the turning stone and what we need to concentrate on."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

Leeds United were one of the last teams that any side wanted to face this season, but Daniel Farke's men twice failed to collect anything against Southampton when they were at their lowest in the Championship.

The Saints had lost four on the bounce earlier in the campaign when an in-form Leeds outfit came to St Mary's Stadium, but Russell Martin's side cruised to a 3-1 victory which started a club-record run of 25 games unbeaten in all competitions.

Southampton then hit another rocky patch, losing three consecutive games to put them out of the race for automatic promotion and in poor form heading into the play-offs, but silenced Elland Road during their 2-1 triumph.

Leeds looked like they had already resigned to the play-offs, with Ipswich Town only needing a point against Huddersfield Town to go up automatically.

However, Southampton still had to put in a strong performance and showed they can win differently with adjusted tactics and key players returning.

Saints' fans should be confident knowing that their side have collected four wins and two draws against their play-off rivals, but points and places mean nothing now.

West Bromwich Albion will be tough, so don't plan the trip to Wembley just yet.

Harry Tizard can be found at The Saints Score, external

Image source, Getty Images

Southampton finished their season off in style with a 2-1 win over Leeds United, after suffering three consecutive losses going into the final game of the traditional season.

Now a two-legged play-off semi-final against West Bromwich Albion awaits Russell Martin's side, who finished the season in fourth place.

Former Southampton striker Jo Tessem was delighted to see the team put on a "very strong performance" in front of the away supporters: "I'm so pleased for the supporters that came to this game. It's a long way to travel and sometimes these games can end up in nothing and it feels like a waste.

"It was a very strong performance. It was tactically strong and for the mental setting of getting into the right headspace for the play-offs. I felt like we did something right against Leeds.

"We brought it back to where we should be in terms of what we do on the pitch, our mental preparation and getting the team going.

"Also, he [Russell Martin] put players back into the positions where they are the strongest - that is the key point here.

"I don't think the key point was the formation, I think it was the forward play and the positive transformation of the ball going forward. That creative play made the difference."

Tessem was also full of praise for Adam Armstrong, who opened the scoring after just 18 minutes: "How good is he when he plays on the right-hand side? He makes runs in behind and he kind of created that space for himself. I'm glad he scored because he had a good impact on the game in that sense.

"When you play forward, you take off a lot of that pressure which is in front of the back four, so that opens up. When we were playing in possession it was controlled, it was with a purpose, it was never risky and it worked.

"We did the other bits right and when we do that, then it's fine!

"We didn't get that feeling that we were going to make a mistake and they were going to score. We looked like a team that is going to keep a lead and not concede."

Listen to the full Goin Home with Adam and Jo podcast on BBC Sounds

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Southampton manager Russell Martin has said he does not let the disappointment of their automatic promotion challenge fading change his positive view on his first season at the club.

The Saints lost three games in the space of a week to Cardiff, Championship winners Leicester and Stoke, which ended their chances of a top-two finish - but Martin's side are certain to finish fourth and could still go up via the play-offs.

"Last week was a culmination of a lot of things, fatigue being the main one," Martin said in a news conference before their match against Leeds on Saturday. "I don't think we've had a schedule as busy as that all season.

"I think the last week dampens how people feel about the season and what the players have done, but I feel really proud of the team and what we've done this season.

"I would have loved to finished in the top two and I'll be eternally frustrated that we haven't, but we have an opportunity to get to the Premier League and do it playing our way.

"From the start of the season to now, the players have made incredible strides and their belief in what they're doing is amazing.

"After probably three quarters of the squad were telling me they were going to leave on the first day we were here, with the change in style and culture, if you'd have said at the start of the season that we'd be in this position with three games to get to the Premier League then I would have been quite happy and a bit surprised."

Southampton have one game until they discover their upcoming opponents in the play-off semi-finals after a disastrous conclusion to the season. It has ended any faint hopes of gaining automatic promotion almost immediately after fans started to believe again.

Cian Ashford's 96th-minute sucker punch winner for Cardiff City against Russell Martin's men turned out to be the fatal blow. Alongside Southampton putting in a hopeless display in their 5-0 loss to Leicester City, before an abject outing at home to Stoke City, with the Potters winning 1-0 against a rotated side.

Fans will be hoping that dwindling performances are just part of a poor patch rather than the players losing faith and belief after a good season.

Three straight losses quite rightly has caused concern, especially as there is a desire to go into the play-offs with the utmost confidence, but everyone else is also struggling.

West Bromwich Albion and Leeds United were both thumped in winnable away outings and Norwich City have seemingly stumbled over the line with three draws in four. Hull City look like they will miss out after dropping too many points.

Southampton are far better than the teams below them and can beat anyone on their day.

Harry Tizard can be found at the The Saints Score, external

Southampton manager Russell Martin says his team have a chance to "create a moment for people to remember for a long time", as he gears up for a tilt at the Championship play-offs.

The Saints lost 5-0 away to league leaders Leicester on Tuesday, effectively confirming they would not reach the Premier League through the automatic promotion spots.

With two games left of the regular season, Martin is already eyeing success, with the Wembley showpiece final set for Sunday, 26 May.

"I have had one experience in this league [Championship] of trying to reach the Premier League through the playoffs," said Martin of his Norwich side in 2015 that beat Middlesbrough.

"I did it as captain and it was one of the best days of my life. I said to the players, we have a chance to create a moment for people to remember together for a long time.

"With their family, friends and loved ones, it is an absolute privilege to have that opportunity and just need to make sure we get there and give everyone that."