Eckert keen to reward "outstanding" Saints support
Tonda Eckert is determined to reward Southampton’s biggest away following of the season with victory at Preston on Saturday (12.30pm BST).
Saints head into the final day of the Sky Bet Championship campaign knowing their place in the play-offs is confirmed, but with the incentive of three points potentially setting up a home second leg in the semi-finals.
More than 5,400 Saints fans are set to embark on the 500-mile round trip to Deepdale, and the head coach, speaking after Tuesday’s 2-2 draw with Ipswich at a raucous St Mary’s, is full of gratitude for the support his team has received throughout the run-in.
“We know there is one more coming up on Saturday, we have amazing away support travelling with us, so we will make sure that we do everything to win the game, and on to the play-offs,” Eckert said.
“The support has been outstanding, especially over the last weeks that we get into crunch time in the season. We know about the importance of every single game.
“It’s been amazing at Wembley, it’s been amazing today (against Ipswich) and I’m sure it’ll be amazing on Saturday. We’ll make sure we leave everything on the pitch.”
When asked if he would take the opportunity to rest players at Preston, Eckert added: “I think in general we play to win football games, and we’ve always done that. That’s not going to change on Saturday.”
Saints’ play-off fixtures will be confirmed following the final day of the Sky Bet Championship season on Saturday, with ticket information to follow as soon as possible. Keep an eye on southamptonfc.com and the Saints App for details.
