Martin: That's how you respond to a setback
Russell Martin was delighted with the togetherness and spirit of his Southampton team, who fought back from a goal down to progress to the Carabao Cup fourth round with a penalty shoot-out victory over Everton at Goodison Park.
Saints are still without a point in four Premier League matches this season, but showed their mental strength to haul themselves level through Taylor Harwood-Bellis’s first-half header, 12 minutes after Abdoulaye Doucouré’s opener as both sides traded set-piece goals.
The manager referenced Saints’ negative response to the setback of Cameron Archer’s penalty miss against Manchester United on Saturday, but tonight the opposite was true thanks to captain Harwood-Bellis’s swift response, before Martin’s much-changed team converted six out of six spot-kicks to advance.
“I’m really delighted with the group, with the players, with the staff, the preparation for the game, the attitude and mentality of the team – especially responding to a setback in the game of conceding,” he said.
“I loved the togetherness and the spirit tonight. We’re going to need all of that on Saturday. We were so good for half an hour on Saturday, but we didn’t respond well enough to a setback. Tonight we did, and that’s the biggest area of growth and learning from tonight.
“We are going to have setbacks as a team and a group and a club this season, we’ve spoken about that, but how we respond to them and how we bounce back is going to be the most important bit.
“I liked so much of the togetherness and the character and the fight and the running, and some brilliant football at times as well. A lot of really, really, really good performances in what’s been a tough period for us, so big character, big togetherness, big spirit.
“The fans were amazing, how many travelled up for a cup game on a Tuesday night was brilliant, so I’m really happy for them as well. I think they showed big courage and conviction in the penalties, and they did all game.
“The game looked how we want it to look. In certain moments a bit more attacking intent, but they played their way into the game, a lot of the guys making their first starts: Wee Man (Ryan Fraser) this season, Max Cornet, so overall I’m really, really pleased.”
Ultimately Alex McCarthy was Saints’ hero with the decisive penalty save to deny former England teammate Ashley Young, marking his 150th appearance for the club in style.
“I’m pleased for Al,” Martin added. “The fans singing his name at the end – they know how important he was, everyone does, at the end of last season. It’s been difficult for him coming out of the team for Rambo (Aaron Ramsdale), but he’s taken it so brilliantly.
“Tonight, the preparation with him and Dean [Thornton, goalkeeping coach] – he joked coming off that he got every one wrong until that point – but that’s why you prepare, that’s why you get yourselves ready and I’m really pleased that he’s the hero of the day and he takes the plaudits because he deserves that. I thought he was great in the whole game.
“We spoke about it before because we did a lot of work on them at the end of last season. Gilly (Matt Gill, assistant manager) and Colin [Calderwood, first team coach] made sure the lads all took one yesterday after training, and just reminded them before the penalty shoot-out about a couple of key pointers that we felt were important, and the lads carried it out with real conviction and courage, with some quality penalties.”
