Wigan's defeat at Arsenal meant that mathematically Saints are now absolutely safe and can go into the final game knowing they have completed what they set out to do this season.
Its fair to say that if you did a straw poll amongst Saints fans at the start of the season, the sizeable majority of them would have concurred that success this season would be staying in the Premier League and many would have added the coda that if we could be safe before the final day of the season that would be an added bonus.
Saints have now managed that and although they have edged to cross the safety line rather than stormed to it as it looked like they might do a few weeks back, the reality is that the however we finished, with a flourish or otherwise, the job has been done and that is all that matters.
The difficulty of our achievement is shown when you look at the league table itself, the fact is that perhaps only eight clubs have truly not flirted with relegation this season, although Swansea fans would perhaps argue it should be nine, I can perhaps allow them that, but the fact does remain that from West ham in tenth down to Wigan who have now been relegated in eighteenth, right up to the last few games of the season they and every club in between could have gone down, indeed Saints go into the final day knowing a win and a few results going their way could see them finish tenth, but defeat could just as easily see them finish seventeenth only one place and a couple of points above the relegation spot.
That shows just how tight the relegation battle has been and Newcastle are living proof of how you can never rest on your laurels in this league, last season they were fifth and this season very nearly went down.
But Sunday can be a celebration, its been a long season, nine months ago we kicked off at Man City with four players making their league debut for the club and most of the team never having played in the top flight before, since then we have changed managers, seen many players go out on loan, we have endured some torrid times and some good ones, but that is now all of no significance, we should celebrate what we have achieved and then put this season behind us, its what happens next that counts, its a good job done, but now its time to look to the future.