Stephens hails "incredible connection"
Jack Stephens hailed the special connection between the Southampton staff, players and fans in the wake of the club’s return to the Premier League.
The defender described the day he was appointed Saints skipper at the start of the season as the proudest moment of his career, and revealed in the build-up to Sunday’s play-off final triumph that he dreamt of leading his teammates up the Wembley steps to receive the trophy.
That dream came true thanks to Adam Armstrong’s first-half strike, but Stephens was keen to spread the joy to the many thousands who have helped strengthen Saints’ spirit.
“I was trying to soak it all in and just enjoy the moment. It’s an amazing feeling. Leading this club – it’s the proudest moment of my career when I got given the armband,” he said.
“The aim was always to get promoted. Obviously we didn’t manage to do that automatically, but this was our second chance and I was never going to let this opportunity slip, because I was just so desperate for this to happen, so desperate to win.
“I’ve loved it, absolutely loved it. The best thing for me is seeing the connection between the staff and the players and the fans – everyone connected again.
“It’s where this club should be. It’s where it was. Unfortunately that fell away for a couple of years and it wasn’t a nice place to be. It was very difficult and the fans went through a lot, a lot of tough moments.
“This year has been amazing – the connection between everyone is just incredible. I think you saw that today, and it’s just amazing to be able to celebrate it all together.”
