RYAN Manning insisted Saints can't let missing out on automatic promotion dictate their mood as they aim to keep the feel-good factor for the play-offs.
A 2-2 draw with Ipswich Town on Tuesday evening killed Southampton's ability to finish in second place on the final weekend of the season.
Tonda Eckert’s charges, who were 21st when the German coach first took over, will have to make do with the play-offs, as Saints did in 2023/24.
Manning, a previous promotion winner with the club, was disappointed not to take it to the final day, but has not lost sight of where Saints were.
“With the run that we’ve been on, we’ve got so close, and then the hope comes, but we know what’s happening now,” he told the Daily Echo .
“When we were 21st in the table, if you had told us we would secure play-offs with a game to go, we would have snapped your hand off.
“The start we had didn’t give us a chance. The reality of winning all 10 games to get promoted automatically is a bit of a fairytale.
“To get seven wins and two draws, you can’t be disappointed with it.
“In a way, if it was going to happen, it’s probably better that it happened now because it gives us a few days to get over the disappointment.
“We can get our heads around it and know that we have three or four games now to get to Wembley and get promoted."
He added: “I don’t think there is too much disappointment. To get into the play-offs, from where we were is a big achievement.
"I think the fans realise that. We’ve made a complete change in culture around the football club in the last three or four months.
“There is a feel-good factor around the place, so to allow [missing out on] automatic promotion dictate how we feel would be a bit naive. We have the play-offs to look forward to.”
Manning’s fourth free-kick goal of the season got Saints back into a tight game against Ipswich before he set up Cyle Larin for the second.
Daniel Peretz can take some credit for Manning’s eighth goal of the campaign as he instructed Saints players to unsettle the Tractor Boys goalkeeper.
Ryan Manning's deflected free-kick has brought Southampton level ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/vpxr4Isjbx
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) April 28, 2026
The Israeli international placed Larin and Tom Fellows in the Ipswich wall, allowing Manning to fire the ball low and past Christian Walton via a deflection.
“Daniel is lively in the goal as it is; he’s really good with stuff like that,” Manning added, giving credit to his teammate.
“Little things that he wouldn’t want against him as a goalkeeper, he’s realised that he can help. One of their lads dangled the leg, and you get a bit of a break.
“Cyle Larin is brilliant," he continued. "The composure to chop back inside and finish was brilliant. Him and Roscoe [Ross Stewart] have been brilliant up top.
“They’ve scored big goals. They’ve provided a big outlet for us with their back-to-goal. They’re so strong. Everyone, the squad is in a good place.”
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