Tonda Eckert will hope to have this Southampton weapon up his sleeve for the playoffs

There's only one matchday left now of the regular Championship season, and it has been a rollercoaster ride from start to finish for Southampton.

Towards the start of the campaign, the Saints' hangover from Premier League relegation was clear for all to see, with Will Still navigating the sinking ship to 21st in the division.

Thankfully, for as much as Still was a failure, Tonda Eckert has been a rip-roaring success, with Southampton set to take part in the playoffs again in the second-tier, after a mid-week 2-2 draw with Ipswich Town halted their automatic promotion dreams.

The Saints do have a pretty good track record in the playoffs, if recent memory serves correct...

Southampton's heroics in the playoffs

The aim for Eckert's men now will be to return to Wembley in May, having already had a taste of what drama the home of football can provide, when just coming unstuck 2-1 to Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals.

Nearly conjuring up the spirit of their famous 1976 FA Cup triumph on this occasion, Southampton will be hopeful they can add another memorable win to their collection at Wembley, having been promoted to the Premier League via this spectacular route in 2024.

Indeed, in 2024, Russell Martin would steer the South Coast giants to a sensational promotion, when getting the better of a heavily fancied Leeds United outfit 1-0.

Adam Armstrong would break the deadlock in this high-stakes affair with an assured finish, with Eckert confident that Finn Azaz could be his goalscoring hero in the here and now, having beaten James Trafford in the FA Cup semi-final with an outrageous curled effort.

Eckert will want some of his injured personnel to come back into the first team fold for the whirlwind of the playoffs, though, with Jack Stephens - who is currently out of action - captaining the Saints to that narrow win at Wembley over Daniel Farke's distraught troops.

Likewise, he will want this weapon to be back at his disposal very soon, as he has proven to be a livewire when unleashed into games this season.

Eckert will hope this weapon is back fit

When Martin was in charge during his chaotic playoff campaign, he utilised his bench effectively during those tough encounters.

The 3-1 win over West Brom in the semi-final second leg was secured late on when Adam Armstrong emphatically smashed home a penalty, with Ryan Manning - a second-half substitute - at the heart of the original move, as he was fouled for the spot-kick to be awarded.

The Irishman will likely start the first playoff game heading Eckert and Co's way, with Kuryu Matsuki hopeful he can play some role, too, despite being ruled out for the 2-2 draw with Ipswich.

Eckert was tight-lipped about the Japanese ace's injury situation, but he did note that he longed to have him back soon, with his energy and vibrant performances proving to be potentially very useful in the marathon clashes ahead in the playoffs.

From only 11 starts in the second-tier this campaign, Matsuki has managed to bag four goals and collect an assist.

He even teed up Azaz for this rocket against Pep Guardiola's giants, despite only being on the Wembley turf for a slim 14 minutes.

Eckert will, of course, need his more clearly defined first-teamers to be firing on all cylinders, so Southampton can stand any chance of instantly jumping back up to the Premier League.

But, with playoff clashes often feeling like chess matches, Eckert's in-game decision-making will be key, with Matsuki an impact substitute he will hope he can rely on, if he brushes us off his current injury niggle.

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