Southampton find themselves in the scariest game in football

They will have laid awake, minds racing with the best and worst possibilities after stepping over the white line at Wembley Stadium.

Coventry City's Fankaty Dabo knows only too intimately the fine margins of the Championship playoff final - and its consequences.  

The 28 year old is without a club just 12 months on from missing the last kick in a penalty shootout defeat to Luton, having staggeringly been released by relegated League Two side Forest Green Rovers.

From the Premier League to not even being wanted at non-league with one ill-fated and unnecessarily cruel swing of the boot.

Saints take on Leeds United in the 2024 edition this afternoon, playing to a conclusion for the last place in next season's Premier League.

It is the scariest game in club football - a brutal slog of 48 matches all comes down to 90 minutes, and its repercussions are severe.

Southampton's two wins over Leeds United this season mean nothing now - Fulham lost twice to Brentford before beating them in 2020 (Image: PA)

If you reach a Champions League final or an FA Cup final - even if you are beaten - you can probably consider yourself a winner.

Defeat in those circumstances will be heart-wrenching but you are part of the team competing among the very best.

The chances are that your future and the future of your club look bright. The same cannot always be said in the Championship.

The winners will be rewarded with a value of over £200million instantly, with future possibilities beyond counting.

The losers are consigned to another year in the second division, another dramatic restructure of their budget and the prospect of mass exodus.

Saints boss Russell Martin is confident there will not be a fire sale if his side does not win but the reality is inevitable.

Martin will remain manager next season whatever the outcome, providing crucial continuity, but his job will look very different.

Che Adams at Plymouth. Ryan Fraser at Hull - and Millwall. Joe Rothwell against Huddersfield. Joe Aribo at Birmingham. Flynn Downes against Watford.

📲 A message from Flynn to you all...

👏 👏#SaintsFC https://t.co/DtY8VwBD9J pic.twitter.com/YNtR1OIfU6

— Alfie House (@AlfieHouseEcho) May 25, 2024

All those moments that we celebrated with friends and family will be rendered redundant or etched into the club's history forever.

All or nothing is used regularly in football. Never is it more relevant than in this situation.

From the start of the season, Martin has visualised celebrating promotion on the pitch at St Mary's with his children.

It was one of the first things he told the Daily Echo last summer. He will have to settle for that moment at Wembley, now.

Martin enjoyed a kickabout on the St Mary's turf after beating West Brom last Friday but the job was only half done.

Martin insists: "It's still a motivation for me to have that moment with my family, and I think it's the same for everyone.

Russell Martin celebrating with his son at St Mary's after Saints secured passage to Wembley with a 3-1 win over West Brom (Image: PA)

"I haven't had time to think about it but I'm pretty sure when I wake up on Sunday and we speak over FaceTime, I'll start feeling it then.

"As a football player or manager, you're in such a privileged position that you can help give people moments they'll remember forever.

"The players will know that, we have spoken about it. It might sound a bit fluffy but it's true and it should be a huge motivation for everyone."

Many players will fall on their feet even in the worst case, despite Dabo's case proving that that is no guarantee.

But Martin has hinted at a few playing for their futures, while there are others who truly have the club in their hearts.

Saints fan Will Smallbone, born in Basingstoke, is one of those. If he were not playing, he would be in the stands.

Smallbone was in attendance at Wembley for the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final in 2010 and the League Cup final in 2017.

He is playing, though, and he has made himself key to Southampton's hopes this season with regular goals in massive matches.

"Will has been desperate from day one to play here. He's had to go on loan, he's had injuries," Martin explained.

"He puts a huge amount of pressure on himself because he's a fantastic player and he always wants more from himself.

"Every fan wants their homegrown player to come through but very often the homegrown players are criticised quicker because they don't cost any money.

Saints academy graduate and fan Will Smallbone has a chance to help fire his club back to the Premier League (Image: Stuart Martin)

"I think Will has got better and better and better, and more comfortable with his role at the club that he actually is a big player.

"I think that moment at Birmingham that he had has been so good for him and the way the supporters rallied around him.

"I always joke one day I'll be in the crowd watching him and saying, 'Do you remember me, Will?' I think he can play at the top level."

Martin, in his final press conference ahead of the match, said that he or she who does not feel nervous this weekend is a dangerous person.

There will be fear on the pitch, on the sidelines and in the stands at Wembley. There will be fear in those following back at home or abroad.

This is it now, for another season. Success or failure should probably not be defined by one result but this will be as close as it comes.

Victory will follow those who play with courage in front of the 80,000. Come on, you Saints.

Good luck, Saints! 🔴 ⚪️ (Image: Stuart Martin)