Saints have been promoted to the Premier League.

Nigel Adkins and his team secured back-to-back promotions with a final day 4-0 hammering of Coventry at St Mary’s.

Even before the game there seemed little hope of anything other than the win Saints needed to ensure a return to the top flight which they left seven years ago and it certainly proved that way.

Any early nerves were settled by two goals in the space of three first half minutes as Billy Sharp and Jose Fonte put Saints 2-0 up.

Full of confidence and knowing that promotion was all but assured, Saints were rampant in the second half against an already relegated Sky Blues team.

Jos Hooiveld and Adam Lallana added further goals to confirm Saints’ finish in the second automatic promotion place behind champions Reading and ahead of West Ham, whose final day victory over Hull was of no consequence in the end.