What Josh Windass said after Southampton Spygate adds edge to Wrexham reunion | OneFootball

Josh Windass questioned why Wrexham weren't handed Southampton's place in the play-offs last season after the Spygate story emerged.

Wrexham are looking to bounce back from their humiliating 6-0 thrashing at West Ham last time out when they host Southampton on Saturday.

Given the manner of the defeat to the Hammers, it’s fair to say that Phil Parkinson will be demanding a response, but facing Saints is far from ideal.

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Tonda Eckert’s side are the second-highest scorers in the Championship, they have an in-form striker in Cyle Larin, and they beat Wrexham 5-1 on their own patch just a matter of months ago in the previous season.

Southampton’s Spygate punishment is still a talking point

At that point, promotion looked a real possibility for Saints, but, as we know, they were expelled from the play-offs for spying on Middlesbrough in the build-up to the semi-final first-leg, with Eckert admitting it had happened earlier in the season as well.

So, even though Southampton beat Boro over two legs, they were denied their shot at reaching the Premier League, with Hull City ultimately beating the Teesside outfit at Wembley.

The fallout didn’t end there, with Southampton still paying the price for what went on, as they would actually be joint-top of the Championship right now if they didn’t have a four-point deduction.

Josh Windass hinted at Wrexham’s feelings towards Southampton and Spygate

Whilst Middlesbrough were understandably furious at what had gone on, Wrexham were another team impacted, as they had finished 7th in the table.

Therefore, some naturally wondered whether the Red Dragons should have been reinstated when Southampton were expelled from the play-offs, as Middlesbrough essentially were given a pass to the final even after losing the two legs.

That was a view that Josh Windass shared, as the forward took to social media to ask why the play-offs didn’t start again with four teams.

“This story is one of the maddest I've seen. But why isn't the play-offs starting again with the four other teams?”

Of course, it didn’t happen, and Wrexham go into this game after a slow start to the campaign, having picked up seven points from seven games.

Tonda Eckert will be on the touchline for Wrexham vs Southampton

Southampton may have been punished over Spygate, but the matter isn’t closed completely, as Eckert is still under investigation by the FA.

That could lead to a potential ban for the German coach, and it’s something that has been hanging over him all summer.

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Despite that, Eckert and the players don’t appear to have let it become a distraction, and, if anything, they have been galvanised by all the noise, as Saints have lost just one of their opening seven league games.

Nevertheless, a ban for Eckert still potentially looms, but he will be in the dugout for the trip to Wrexham, with no outcome announced at the moment.

Wrexham must use any edge to their advantage

You can be sure that Wrexham fans will remind Eckert of what went on, and that could add a bit more spice to this fixture than a normal game.

Plus, if the Wrexham players share the view of Windass, it may give them that tiny bit more motivation to get one over Southampton, whilst that heavy loss last season will be fresh in the memory.

Yet, the added edge to the game could be just what they need, as it will generate an even better atmosphere at the Racecourse Ground, as they look to get back on track going into the international break.