Southampton knew what sort of atmosphere they'd be greeted with heading to Middlesbrough to get their Championship playoff campaign underway.
Indeed, the playoff ties have been overshadowed somewhat by the breaking news revelation that a Saints analyst allegedly spied on Boro training, before the first leg match commenced.
Asked about this new Spygate scandal, with Marcelo Bielsa once at the heart of his own scandal at Leeds in 2019, Southampton boss Tonda Eckert kept his cool pre-match, but it all came to a head after the match.
The war of words between Kim Hellberg and Eckert
Before delving into Eckert's post-match reactions to constantly being fielded questions about this unfolding Spygate controversy, Kim Hellberg - in the Boro dug-out - didn't hold back with his own views on the mid-week scandal.
Hellberg has stated that someone has decided to try and 'cheat', which has made his pre-match preparations 'unfair' as he was constantly second-guessing what team to go with.
🎙️ In Tonda Eckert's post-match press conference, Southampton’s press officer stepped in & said he will not be answering any more questions unless they were about the second leg – when the next question about Spygate landed, they walked out together #saintsfc @SkySports_Keith pic.twitter.com/cMBwhAm8GC
— SaintsExtra (@SaintsExtra) May 9, 2026
While the ex-Hammarby boss was matter-of-fact with his comments and didn't shy away from answering, Eckert - who is in charge of the 'villains' in this ludicrous story - would storm out of his post-match conference when being bombarded with his thoughts on the surreal scenario.
Ultimately, the German didn't go out and do the alleged spying himself, so he would have felt frustrated that he couldn't talk in greater detail about his team's determined showing on the road, as the Spygate scandal didn't hinder their fighting spirit whatsoever.
Saints didn't let the Spygate scandal distract them on the pitch
Weirdly, all this pre-match talk could well have galvanised the Saints players who walked out against Boro to put in a valiant showing, to silence the disgruntled Riverside natives.
They did just that, too, as 17 first half shots would go begging from the hosts, as Daniel Peretz constantly bailed his team out with save after save.
Moreover, James Bree stood out again as a defensive warrior for his team, when he was once on the periphery and being loaned out to Charlton Athletic mid-season, as a crucial block denied Tommy Conway a goalbound shot in the first 45 minutes.
It wasnt the prettiest performance, as the likes of Finn Azaz failed to get going, but it is the sort of performance that would have pleased Eckert, nonetheless, as his Saints camp rolled their sleeves up to collect an admirable 0-0 draw, to drown out all the outside noise.
This result gives them a great platform to be victorious in the second leg, too, as the home masses will be ready to cheer their side on from minute one of the match, after the Boro support were on Southampton's back throughout at the Riverside.
The original Spygate scandal ended up working against Leeds in 2019, as Derby County beat them in the semi-finals.
This time around, Southampton will be hoping a different narrative plays out, with Middlesbrough's name not needing to be mentioned, again, if they slip up in the second leg, and the South Coast side progress to Wembley.
Add us as a preferred source on Google