THOUSANDS of Saints fans poured out of Wembley stadium frustrated and disappointed for the second consecutive campaign.

Second-half goals from Olivier Giroud and substitute Álvaro Morata condemned Saints to a 2-0 defeat in their FA Cup semi-final.

The club had been aiming to secure their first FA Cup final slot since 2003, and fans had spoken of their optimism and hope as they lie in the relegation zone.

Supporters from all over the country joined those who took the early-morning trip from Southampton.

The start of the ABP Southampton Marathon at 9am in the city meant an early rise for fans. Despite that, the mood for the day started with a wave of optimism.

Joe Say and Elliott Hooker had between them predicted a 2-1 win for Saints.

Joe said traveling to Wembley: "We have to be hopeful for the rest of the season, we're in a terrible position in the league but we won it in '76 and no-one gave us a chance that year either."

A convoy of coaches took to the M3 with Saints fans arriving before 10am and a loud, community spirit was built.

Donald Crumbie and his son Mark came from Leicester and Somerset respectively, and too were full of hope.

Despite a first-half performance that saw Saints go in level, albeit fortunately at times, two second-half Chelsea goals meant the mood quickly deflated.

The first Saints fans started leaving with almost 15 minutes of play still to come.

Leaving the stadium, 33-year-old Dave Thompson said: "A few years ago we were playing attractive football that had other teams envious.

"Now we have to settle for that? It's always fantastic to play at Wembley, and losing against Manchester United last year, hurt. But at least we gave it a go, and that was under a very defensive manager. This was toothless."

The mood as fans flooded to the coach park didn't improve, with fans saying they felt a sense of inevitability about the performance, and that relegation would be an "awful thing" for Southampton as a city.

They must now turn their attention to that battle to stay in the Premier League, a battle that looks increasingly like one they will lose.