This was one of those games that as a football fan you live for, when the moaning stops and you just get behind your team when it really matters.

The time for the post mortem of this season will be after the final whistle on Sunday, but for now those who travelled to Everton & Swansea have a hectic few days to look back upon were all ranges of emotions came to the fore.

I am sure that I need tell no Saints supporter that this was an awful game to watch in the fact that it shredded your nerves from the first to the final whistle, no one had a bad game, no one had a great game, but everyone contributed when it really mattered.

One thing Mark Hughes has done in the recent weeks is united the squad and got them fighting for the cause again and that could be said for the fans who travelled to Swansea, the bickering and slagging off of certain individuals was left at home and it was just total support for the team.

Not one player who stepped on that pitch can be slagged off for effort and commitment, at times they did not have the best of the games, but when things did not go well they knuckled down and tried to make it happen the next time.

If you want to slag off individual players then consider that as bad as this season has been, come the run in those coming under fire all contributed, Nathan Redmond didn't have a great game at Swansea, but he never stopped running never stopped trying and his goal at Everton will matter come the final whistle on Sunday, Carrillo didn't score, but his part in goals at West Brom and Burnley, especially Burnley will also be vital, Mario Lemina didn't step on the pitch last night due to injury but his elation at the final whistle was there for all to see as was that of others unable to play in Yoshida and Steven Davis et al and this is what Mark Hughes has brought to the club, unity with a capital U, in Hughes is squad there is no room for the moaners and the whingers, you are either part of the problem or you are part of the solution and that is something for a few people to reflect on.

Football clubs have moments when all doesn't go well, in it seems to have happened to us all season and escalated in the last few weeks, bad refereeing decisions, awful deflections, sending offs, but Hughes and his players have not gone around bemoaning their luck of pointing the finger of blame, they have used adversity to bond themselves together and pull through.

The game on reflection probably wasn't as bad as it seemed, Saints gave as good as they got and overall had the lions share of the chances, when they needed to they did the basics and cut out the soft errors that have cost us so dearly.

Hughes made the right substitutions at the right times, on 68 minutes with Jan Bednarek being led off in a daze, with 20 minutes left and a goal needed the Saints manager was not scared to put the foot on the accelerator and bring on a forward in Manolo Gabbiadini and go for the jugular and it paid off.

Scrappy goal but one that sent the Saints supporters wild and a moment I would not have missed for the world, all those games where we either didn't turn up or couldn't get any luck, all those poor refereeing decisions, they didn't matter last night, yes it shredded the nerves but when that goal went in, when the final whistle blew it was all about just what supporting your team through thick and thin is about.

No man of the match last night, everyone did their bit when they needed to do it, it was a team effort from Mark Hughes leading it, right down to the Saints supporters massed behind the goal.

It's not quite over yet, mathematically we are not quite there, but we need the same support at St Mary's as we got at Goodison Park on Saturday and at Swansea last night, total support for the team from start to finish and then we can talk about what has gone wrong this season at the time it should be discussed, not seven months ago.

Photo: Action Images

landsdownsaint added 16:31 - May 9 As someone has already said,we’re not playing that much better but the sudden passion our lads have got is amazing !... I think Hughes & Saints might be a good fit ...I wouldn’t like to live in Stoke .
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redwight added 18:10 - May 9 Hughes will surely get the job and who could possibly say he hasn't earned it. Having a manager with fire in his belly, who can actually speak in a language we understand and say interesting things in press conferences is such a refreshing change. BUT, if he was solely responsible for player purchases at Stoke, it is hard to be too optimistic when there are only two of their entire squad (Allen and Shaqiri) who I would be happy to see at St Mary's.

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sidsaint added 21:12 - May 9 Obviously agree with all positive comments above. Hats off to Hughes and boy was he emotional at the end like a true Saint. Now to get a new sofa I've been hiding behind this one long enough and the damage done when Gabbi scored last night well it was worth it. Let's hope Hughes stays and we stop getting foreign managers we've never heard of and get a no nonsense Brit who can motivate and bring the club together.

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KriSaint added 23:19 - May 9 First of all. Congratulations fellow Saints fans, players, Mark Hughes and staff. I could write 3 pages here about the Swansea match and the season, but I won´t. I have been impressed with Hughes´ chance of system: 3 centerbacks. Well done Bednarek, coming in. Sharpening our central defenders by using 3 of them (almost) all the time. Cedric and Bertrand less present in our own box with this system (with less defensive headers from those 2) by them playing further up the pitch. Cedric OUT of our box during corners against us. He is useless in the air, Hughes saw that. Transformed him to a potential counter attack player with his approved speed and technical skills during corners against us - waiting just outside the box. Brilliant. Galvanizing our defensive midfield players even more. Better service to our lone striker with 2 more forward orientated players right behind him. I will of course add that Mccarthy has been class in 4 of our 7 games. Results after change to 3-4-2-1 / 3-5-1-1 - clearly improved: Arsenal away 2-3 Chelsea home 2-3 Leicester away 0-0 Bournemouth home 2-1 Everton away 1-1 Swansea away 1-0 The players seem to like and respect Hughes. I sensed a real togetherness and care for the club among the players and staff yesterday. Hughes deserves a long contract. Thanks from me for being a nervous wreck until last kick on sunday and going into depression there after. Saints forever <3

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TeamCortese added 06:37 - May 10 Just ecstatic that we're staying. Well done to all those that kept the faith and stepped up when most needed :)
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KriSaint added 14:02 - May 10 Sorry Guys, I messed up my last sentence in my comment above. Thanks from me for AVOIDING being a nervous wreck until last kick on sunday and for the fright of going into a depression thereafter *
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