IT was an unbearably tense 90 minutes but with a £60m jackpot at stake it was always going to be.

However, in the end there was nothing for fans to worry about as Saints delivered a 4-1 hammering of Southend United and a place in the play-offs.

After an unpredictable season that has seen Saints in and out of the play-off places almost as often as striker Grzegorz Rasiak has hit the net, manager George Burley's men did what we all hoped they would do and gave Southampton a crack at the Premier League.

A sell-out 32,000 crowd - the biggest at St Mary's since the club's relegation two years ago - roared Saints into that vital top six spot in the Championship.

In a carnival atmosphere, thousands of fans dressed from head to toe in red and white created a deafening noise.

Minutes before kick-off fans paid a rousing tribute to Saints legend Alan Ball, who died two weeks ago.

His children, Jimmy, Mandy and Keely, took to the field with club director Lawrie McMenemy and Saints legend Mathew Le Tissier for a minute's applause in honour of the World Cup winner and former player and manager.

Initially, the game didn't follow the script and the crowd were stunned into silence as nervy Saints went a goal behind.

However, from the moment Kenwyne Jones equalised until the final whistle three more goals later, the stadium sounded like it was going to explode.

Minutes after the match hundreds of fans swamped the ticket office to book their place for next Saturday's game - the first step towards Saints making it back into the Premiership.

That will be against George Burley's former club, Derby County, in the first leg of the play-off semi-final at St Mary's on Saturday. The return match is at Pride Park next Tuesday night.

If they win they would then meet either Wolves or West Brom at Wembley on May 28 in the play-off final for a place in the Premiership.

After the final whistle there was dancing and singing in St Mary's as ecstatic fans spilled out of the stadium.

TV engineer Mark Allan, 34, said: "I lost my voice. It was the best atmosphere of the whole season. I could feel the whole stand shaking as the final goal went in."

Fans were in little doubt they can now go all the way.

Economist Roger Whitcomb, 60, from Winchester, said: "Towards the end everyone was singing.

"We are a good team now and we have a good chance of getting back into the Premiership."

St Mary's at the end of the game. Right, a young fan's reaction.

Echo pictures by Stuart Martin. Order nos: 4928590 (above), 4928523 (right).