Southampton star Will Smallbone relishing return to Wembley against Leeds – 14 years after cheering Saints as kid
WILL SMALLBONE was at Wembley as a 10-year-old fan when Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Michail Antonio starred for Southampton.
And on Sunday he is hoping to write his own piece of Saints history under the arch by helping shoot his boyhood club back into the Premier League.
Smallbone, 24, remembers fondly watching Saints win the EFL Trophy after beating Carlisle in 2010.
And he was there again aged 17 when the Saints were beaten 3-2 in a thriller against Manchester United in the 2017 League Cup final.
He said: “The 2010 final is my earliest prominent memory. It was a special day going with my dad and sister. And I was there again seven years later for the United game.
“It’s a big occasion when you get to Wembley, the fans gathering hours before kick off. I did it. The tension is building and everyone is nervous, itching for the game to start.
“It’ll be different for me as a player this time but understanding the fans’ point of view of where they’ve been will help spur me on to have a good game and help with the other players.”
Smallbone’s happiest moment as a fan was watching the team under Nigel Adkins achieve back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League in 2011 and 2012.
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And he added: “It’s something that has driven me this season and to get over the line on Sunday. I remember how big a celebration it was for everybody getting back to the Premier League.
“So to do it at the first time of asking would be an unbelievably proud moment for me and everyone connected.
“If you’d have offered us at the start of the season that we’d have one game to win to get there we’d have snapped your hand off.
“Especially with the amount of change the club has gone through, players leaving, players coming in, new style of football. It will be an exciting occasion for anyone.”
Smallbone has enjoyed facing Leeds this season — having done the double over them with the midfielder scoring in both games.
And their 3-1 victory over Daniel Farke’s men at St Mary’s in September sparked an astonishing 25-match unbeaten run — 23 in the league.
Completing a hat-trick of wins over Leeds at Wembley, though, will top the lot.
Smallbone said: “That home win was massive for us. We’d just lost four games in a row at that point and beating Leeds put down a big marker for us doing well for the rest of the season.
“We beat them in the last game of the season but that was a strange one — because our fate had already been settled. We were in the play-offs whereas they were in the unknown of possibly going up.
“But when news came that Ipswich had scored early against Huddersfield and maybe they were resigned to not going up automatically. Whereas we wanted a good result going into the play-offs.”
But those two wins will count for nothing at Wembley. Both Oxford in League One and Crawley in League Two had failed to beat Bolton and Crewe in the regular season respectively but prevailed in their finals last weekend.
And Smallbone said: “It’s a huge final and a completely different game. All the form goes out of the window with so much at stake.”
The midfielder spent last season on loan in the Championship at Stoke — but has flourished under Martin back in Hampshire.
Martin’s style suits Smallbone’s deep-lying playmaking game.
And he said: “Russ has been brilliant. Since the first day he came in, he’s been clear with our identity, style and how he wants us to play.
“When we lost the four games in a row, he told us we’ll look back on it and be thankful.
“For us players, it showed a lot about Russ and the staff, that during that tough period of four defeats he didn’t change one bit. He stuck to his style. He’ll fall on his sword in the way we play.
“But that showed us that if he believes in it, why shouldn’t we. And from the day we beat Leeds, we didn’t look back
“In possession he wants everyone to be brave on the ball. If you’re doing that, he can live with the mistakes.
“As a player we can live with each other making mistakes if we’re doing it with the right intentions. That is a major thing for him.”
Smallbone is so glad to be back at the club he loves — and having had two full Championship seasons under his belt is chomping at the bit to add to his 16 Premier League appearances.
He said: “The gaffer was good at bringing me back in and playing me as much as he has.
“I’ve enjoyed the season and it’s something I’ve wanted to do since coming through the academy. It’s been my dream to play as much as I could for Southampton and to have a real taste of it this year just wants me to have more.
“So winning on Sunday will mean a lot to get this club back where it belongs.”