Russell Martin Manager
The St Mary’s side dramatically booked a place in the last eight of the Carabao Cup, but it should have been a much simpler task than it became. Saints were two goals ahead against the Championship outfit but required an 88th-minute James Bree wonder strike after giving up the lead. Bree’s long-range effort ensured Saints crossed the finish line and will now wait to learn about their quarter-final opponents in Wednesday evening’s draw.
Speaking after the match, manager Martin reflected on the game and his approach to handling the team:
Russell Martin said “We spoke before the game about winning it and making sure we get through. I came back in and also saw Brentford with a really strong team out struggling against their Championship opposition – it’s never easy in the cup. We got through, we made it tougher than it should have been for sure, but we also showed a bit of character to get through a bit of adversity in the game at 2-2. I think the final decision in the box in the final third wasn’t quite there and we should have made more of the dominance we had. Then we’re trying to be aggressive and get caught on the counter-attack. Breezy scores and the defenders spent a lot of time in the opposition in the final third tonight because we were aggressive and we dominated territory.”
Martin also shared insights from past experiences, noting how last season’s lessons influenced his current approach:
Russell Martin said “I want the performance to be better but I made a mistake last year, I went to town on the players after that game. I think it surprised a lot of them because we managed to win the game. So I think I learned my lesson from that really because we didn’t win after that. I think it affected us a bit and we need to celebrate every victory as a group, whether it’s against a Championship team in the cup or a Premier League game. They came in a bit flat and a bit, well, not smiling. And then by the end, they are and the music was on so hopefully we can carry that on Saturday.”
