Southampton would have come away from the 2-1 win at Leeds United on the action-packed final day in the Championship full of confidence again, having lost their last three league encounters before this joyous trip to West Yorkshire.
The Saints constantly troubled a nervous Leeds side on their own turf, with Kyle Walker-Peters' awareness for Southampton's second on the day showing the desire of Russell Martin's men in spades with the right-back gambling on the ball not going out of play, to then tee up Will Smallbone to fire home.
Not everything went swimmingly, however, despite the positive final scoreline with Che Adams limping off in the second half with a worrying knock.
This would be a major blow for Martin's men if the Saints goal machine isn't fit enough for the drama of the playoffs, having come into his own in recent months up top for the promotion-chasers.
Che Adams' numbers this season
Often seen in the shadow of Adam Armstrong's immense goalscoring numbers at St. Mary's, with the experienced former Newcastle United man bagging 21 goals this season, Adams is standing out in his own right now for Martin's side.
With Armstrong drafted out to the right wing for large portions of this campaign, the Scotland international has led the line as the lone striker predominantly with his prolific edge in front of goal shining in the process.
The 27-year-old forward is only four goals behind his deadly teammate, with five of his 15 second-tier goals for the season coming in a fruitful April for the ex-Birmingham City man.
If Adams' knock is a serious one, the composed Saints number ten would leave a gaping hole in attack when such crunch matches are crying out for the 5 foot 9 striker to excel in.
Still, the absence of Adams could prepare Southampton for an uneasy summer to come with the 27-year-old out of contract and waiting to be snapped up by many a Premier League suitor.
This could give another striker in the Saints camp the impetus to make the gaping hole left by Adams their own if he isn't fit for the matches to come, with one returning attacker desperate to make an impression.
The players who could replace Adams
One bold candidate to take Adams' place could be Ross Stewart, with the former Sunderland man finally tasting more second-tier action for the South Coast club against Leeds after being in the treatment room for most of this campaign.
This seven-minute run-out could well have been Martin assessing whether or not the Scotsman still looked rusty, with the forgotten 27-year-old going on to win 100% of his ground duels as a lively late option in West Yorkshire.
Having netted six goals in Scotland with Alloa Athletic and with Sunderland in their respective playoff structures, Stewart could thrive under the intense strain of the tense matches to follow if given a chance by Martin.
The safer play by the 38-year-old boss against West Bromwich Albion over two legs could be to reintroduce Sekou Mara into the first-team fold, with the Frenchman deemed not fit enough for a spot on the bench against Leeds but should be ready for the playoffs.
Mara has starred in flashes for his promotion-seeking side this season, with six goals managed in all competitions from 33 matches.
Yet, there must be some temptation on Martin's end to throw Stewart in at the deep end instead with one of his ex-Sunderland teammates Alex Pritchard describing the striker as "unbelievable" when securing the Black Cats promotion to the second-tier back in 2022. Could he fancy another big promotion moment on his CV?
