Southampton secured their place in the Championship play-off final against Leeds United with a 3-1 home win over West Brom on Friday.
Russell Martin’s side were impressive as they dominated from start to finish, with a goal from Will Smallbone breaking the deadlock early in the second half in what was arguably his best performance for the club. Adam Armstrong doubled the lead in the 78th minute and then converted a penalty in the 86th minute after Ryan Manning was brought down. Cedric Kipre’s 97th-minute goal was too little too late for West Brom, and all eyes have now turned to the Wembley final next Sunday.
Southampton had to cope without Che Adams in both legs of the semi-final, while Ross Stewart underwent a less intense warm-up than his teammates on Friday night and did not come off the bench. Martin has now issued a positive injury update on the duo ahead of a week in which he hopes to devise a winning plan to secure a return to the Premier League.
Ross Stewart and Che Adams should be fit for final
Che Adams picked up a muscle injury on the final day of the regular season against Leeds but was expected to be fine for the play-off semi-finals.
It was surprising enough when Scotland striker Che Adams did not make the squad for the first leg last Sunday, given that manager Russell Martin had implied his withdrawal at Leeds was merely precautionary. His absence in the second leg left fans perplexed.
Perhaps Martin was downplaying the severity of Adams’ injury to keep West Brom guessing, but fans are hopeful the 27-year-old will be fit for the upcoming match.
Ross Stewart, who arrived at Southampton injured in the summer, did not debut until November. However, his fitness issues persisted as he sustained a hamstring injury in just his second substitute appearance, sidelining him until the final game against Leeds.
Stewart played half an hour in the first leg at The Hawthorns and was expected to build on these minutes in the second leg but did not feature at all.
Martin has now explained Stewart’s absence and discussed the possibility of both Stewart and Adams featuring at Wembley. The Saints boss said, “He’s (Stewart) fine, yeah. He took a whack in the first leg, but he’s taken part in some training and he was only going to be used tonight if we really, really needed him. We are really expecting him to be fully fit and recovered in time for the final as well. It could be two really big options for us with Che Adams.”
Stewart injury record cause for concern
Given that Ross Stewart had not played since January 2023, it was surprising that Southampton decided to pay Sunderland £10 million to sign him last summer. Considering he was recovering from a serious injury and had only 13 Championship appearances under his belt, the Saints took a significant risk.
So far, this gamble has not paid off. Stewart has made just four appearances for Southampton, with his longest stint being 30 minutes against Leeds. His second game back, against Huddersfield Town in November, resulted in a new hamstring injury—not a recurrence of his previous Achilles issue—that sidelined him for another six months, raising serious concerns.
If his latest injury is indeed just a minor knock, as suggested by manager Russell Martin, there is less cause for concern, and he could be fit for the final. However, the fact that Stewart, Southampton’s marquee summer signing intended to help them return to the Premier League, has had three different injuries preventing him from building any fitness is troubling.
For Stewart, this period must have been particularly challenging, as he has been unable to demonstrate his abilities at his new club. Nonetheless, a key contribution at Wembley to help Southampton secure promotion could quickly erase these difficulties, and that is undoubtedly what Stewart is hoping for.
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