Now you may be reflecting on the thrilling win for Manchester United against West Ham or for Chelsea over the rapidly improving Newcastle United.  You may be asking how this exciting roller coaster season will end up, will old war horse Ferguson or out of favour Avram Grant be the manager to claim the Premiership trophy for his team?  People like Khun Tulsathit will be skipping with joy at Liverpool putting one over Meow City, for sure.  Man City fans may simply be shaking their heads and saying ‘why oh wai?’.  

But no, the Premiership has one more week to run before what will no doubt be a climactic end.  I am talking about the final day of the English Football Championship, what used to be called Division 1 or, before the Premership came into life, Division 2.

It promised to be a dramatic final day.  With West Brom already promoted to the Premiership and Scunthorpe and Colchester already relegated, there were still five teams fighting to avoid relegation and five teams fighting for promotion play-off place.  Stoke City were the side to win automatic promotion, holding on for a tense 0-0 draw while closest rivals Hull stumbled at Ipswich town.  (At this point I ask myself whether anyone in Thailand has heard of these places?) 

At the bottom of the table there was a battle to avoid taking the last remaining relegation spot.  The team most likely to be relegated to League One was my very own Southampton.  That glorious team which only four years ago was in the Premiership and only five years ago was in the FA Cup final.  With major problems off the field in the boardroom the performance of the team has suffered on the pitch.

With the worst goal difference of any team at the foot of the table, Southampton had to win over Sheffield United, who themselves had an outside chance of a play-off place. If Blackpool, Sheffield Wednesday or Coventry lost their final match we might overtake them and avoid relegation.  But all eyes in Southampton were on Leicester City.  With the same number of points as Southampton any slip by Leicester meant that a Soiuthampton win would guarantee Championship Survival.  And despite their best efforts, Leicester could not overcome Promoted Stoke City in the most tense 0-0 draw that supporters from either team could probably remember.

So it was up to Southampton to either rise to the challenge or to lose confidence at the final hurdle and sink into League One oblivion.  Our stadium in Southampton is called St Mary’s.  It is a very modern stadium and was full with 32,000 nervously excited fans for this final game. A sea of red and white shirts, wigs, balloons and waving flags, but for a small section of yellow where the Sheffield fans were gathered.

As the players ran onto the pitch on the fine and fateful May Day Monday the noise from the fans was deafening.  This was going to be a do or die affair and Sheffield still had something to play for so would not make the game easy for us.

The Saints midfield started to work in earnest and we looked the better team from the start, although the Sheffield players seemed strong in defence and there appeared no easy way through.  But against the run of play and following some terrible defending, Stephen Quinn headed Sheffield into the lead on 24 minutes. 

The St Mary’s stands fell silent as the Sheffield fans shouted to the roof tops.  I felt a depressed sinking feeling and held my head in my hands.  Then on 42 minutes, Sheffield got a clear header on goal but miraculously Saints’ on loan goal keeper Richard Wright managed to save it. 

I said to myself, that save is going to be a defining moment in the game.  Had Sheffield scored and gone 2-0 ahead our dreams would surely have been shattered.  The fans and players were clearly lifted by the magical save and Saints went on the attack again.  And just two minutes later, Saints midfielder Marek Saganowski dived fearlessly and connected with a deflected cross, heading the ball into the net at close range.  The stadium erupted in cheers and I was jumping up and down like a maniac shaking hands with the strangers around me.

One all at half time.  And Saints started the second half looking confident in attack.  It only took 8 minutes for Stern John and Marek Saganowski to link up for a beautiful move which left John with space in the box and the composure to slam the ball in the top of the net with his left foot.  This time the crowd cheered and screamed even louder.  We were now winning. Our dream of survival might really come true.  I was checking the scores in the other important Championship games constantly on my cell phone to be sure what was happening.  And with Coventry losing, a Southampton win would guarantee our survival whatever happened with Leicester. 

But there was still a long time to go before the final whistle.  Saints remained in command of the game but, after a Sheffield substitution and another moment of terrible Saints defending, Sheffield leveled the score with an easy knock in from a low cross.

Our hearts and our nerves were in shreds again.  With Leicester drawing at Stoke, we had gone from survival to certain relegation in the space of one small moment of bad football.  There was a feeling of despair around the ground.  But the players never gave up as they surely knew that they were the better side on the day.  So many attacks were made against the solid Sheffield defence.  And just six minutes after Sheffield equalized, our top scorer Stern John masterfully brought the ball down on his chest, turned, made enough space and time to slot the ball in the bottom corner of the net to score and send the Saints fans wild again.

The last 25 minutes were frantic and tense and made worse when our hero Stern John was sent off for a second bookable offence.  But we held on.  Knowing that Coventry had already lost, supporters started to crowd round the pitch as the final seconds of injury time ticked down.  And then the final whistle.  Tears welled up in my eyes.  Thousands of fans ran onto the pitch and I was one of them.   Such relief and happiness it is hard to imagine that winning a major trophy could feel better.  This was a great day to be a Saints fan and I feel so lucky to have been there. 

I feel sorry for the Leicester fans as I can only imagine their feelings at finally being relegated.  Football is not just a game to any English fan, whether they support a Premiership giant or a lower division team.  It really means something to people, in all of the cities and towns of my country.  It is part of our identity, who we support.  I was born in Southampton.  I could never support Man U or Chelsea.  In my heart I am a Saints fan and always will be.  COME ON YOU REDS!

Photographs (from my mobile phone!!)

Pitch invasion!

Proud to be Saints fan!

The fans clear some space for the team to do a lap of honour.