Shane Long has set his sights on winning his second piece of silverware at club level after helping secure Southampton’s place in the League Cup final with a memorable win at Liverpool.
The Saints resolutely defended their 1-0 lead from their semi-final first-leg against Jurgen Klopp’s side, and substitute Long put the gloss on their night with a late match-winner following an incisive pass from Josh Sims.
It is Southampton's first major final appearance since the FA Cup defeat to Arsenal at the Millennium Stadium 14 years ago and their first showpiece Wembley visit since 1979.
"It’s an amazing feeling"
The Tipperary man has struggled for regular first-team action under Claude Puel, with the well-taken finish just his third goal of the season.
“It was amazing,” he told Southampton TV.
“It’s an amazing feeling in front of your own fans and there’s a lot of hard work that goes into that. It was a bit of relief but we were just ecstatic at the end.”
“To beat Arsenal and Liverpool along the way, we’ve done it the hard way.
Long’s only other piece of silverware – aside from the 2011 Nations Cup with Ireland - is a Championship medal from the 2005/06 season as part of the Reading side that secured automatic promotion to the Premier League.
The south-coast club created history with their clean sheet on Merseyside, becoming the first club to reach the final without conceding a single goal.
Long believes the cup run has been a fillip for the club in light of some indifferent Premier League form.
“It’s a massive thing for a club like Southampton to get to a final,” he said.
“It’s been disappointing in the league and in Europe so to give the fans something they deserve, is a day out at Wembley and hopefully a medal at the end of it.”
What a feeling that was! In front of our own fans...epic! #Wembley #wemarchon #imintheresomewhere 😇 pic.twitter.com/n6Erm3ORLO
— Shane Long (@ShaneLong7) January 25, 2017
