Southampton boss addresses Leeds United play-off 'disappointment' amid 'beaten up' fears

Russell Martin can sense the same feeling of disappointment at Leeds United and Southampton with both set to miss out on automatic promotion - but the Saints boss has urged his fans to rally ahead of the play-offs.

Leeds and Southampton meet at Elland Road on Saturday in what was long tipped as a potential final-day automatic promotion decider, but it now looks more likely to be a dead-rubber. The Whites can still finish in the top two but need a miracle, with Ipswich Town three points clear and at home to the virtually relegated Huddersfield Town.

Genuine hope of a top-two finish was extinguished in crushing fashion as Leeds lost 4-0 at Queens Park Rangers on Friday. Southampton suffered an equally humbling 5-0 defeat at Leicester City earlier in the week before a 1-0 home defeat to Stoke on Saturday, and Martin believes both sets of fans are feeling a similar sense of opportunities missed in recent weeks.

"I have to accept that disappointment and the expectations of this club [Southampton],” Martin told the Daily Echo. “I was at that game [QPR vs Leeds]. I actually left a bit early to beat the traffic and avoid getting beaten up by some rival supporters. But I sense their fans felt very similar to how ours felt after the defeat to Stoke. When you manage a club like this, you have to accept those expectations. Anyone who I've spoken to and the majority of letters I've received have been positive. 

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“I'm really grateful, and as I've said, we are going to really need the fans. So however you feel, and the last week will have definitely made people feel differently about the season, unfortunately, we have the two biggest games of the season after we face Leeds. The trip to Leeds is going to be important, but after that, we will need everyone. The supporters are included in that."

Martin has taken a lot of criticism from his own supporters in recent weeks, particularly after that thrashing at the hands of recently-crowned champions Leicester. And that level of frustration was definitely mirrored in the away end at Loftus Road on Friday as Leeds suffered their heaviest defeat of the season at the worst possible time.

The pair meet on Saturday with the realistic aim of both being to send a message ahead of the play-offs. Every top-six contender is currently experiencing a dip in form and so ending the season with a positive result could have a big effect on how things play out over the next month.

Leeds look set to finish third and Saints fourth, meaning the pair will face sixth and fifth-place respectively in the play-off semi-finals. Both of the latter positions remain up for grabs with all of Norwich City, West Brom or Hull City jostling for position on the final day. It could mean Farke and Martin meet again in the final at Wembley on Sunday, May 26, although there will likely be plenty of twists and turns before then.