Southampton should have no fear after reaching PL2 play-off final

Saints reached the final of the PL2 play-offs for the first time with a pulsating 2-1 win after extra time at Selhurst Park on Monday evening.

The youngsters led twice and beat Crystal Palace, after Derrick Abu set up Dom Ballard’s first-half opener and secured victory with a thunder strike.

Ademola Ola-Adebomi had pulled Palace level in the 52nd minute, forcing Saints to go the distance for the second time in their play-off campaign.

They will now meet Manchester City, who beat rivals Manchester United in the other semi-final, at the Joie Stadium for the title.

But despite facing the regular season champions, McFarlane, a former Man City academy coach, believes his players should remain "fully confident" ahead of next week's final. 

"We are arguably the two best teams in the country, and we go head to head. I don't want the lads to have any fear," he told the Daily Echo.

Calum McFarlane will face his former club Manchester City. (Image: Photo by Craig Hobbs/Southampton FC) "I want them to be themselves. I'm fully confident, and they are fully confident that we can go there and implement what we do.

"I thought we dominated the whole game (against Crystal Palace) except for the first 15 minutes at the start of the second half.

"They came out really aggressive, scored a goal, and we have to survive and suffer a little bit. Other than that, it was a really good performance.

"These lads have shown time after time that they are resilient, they can come back from disappointment. We don't dwell on mistakes.

"The consistency of our behaviours has been our biggest strength. I'm really proud of the lads, I thought they were a credit to the club."

Since the start of 2025, Saints Under-21s have only lost two games: a PL2 fixture against Middlesbrough and their PL Cup semi-final against Brentford B.

Derrick Abu celebrates after scoring the winner for Saints at Crystal Palace. (Image: Craig Hobbs/Southampton FC) They did not face Manchester City, who finished top by two points, ahead of Fulham, during the regular season, owing to the division's fixture structure.

"If you look at our form, since the Fulham game, when we won 5-0, we have been as good as anyone in this country," McFarlane enthused.

"We haven't played City this year, they are one of the teams we didn't play during the league format, so it will be a great occasion.

"I know a lot of people there, having worked for them previously. I know how good they are, but I want us to believe we can go there and compete."