Club Captain Kelvin Davis was glad to end the season on a personal high having been handed the goalkeeper's jersey for yesterday's draw with Stoke City.
Davis took Artur Boruc's place between the sticks for the final game of the 2012-13 campaign to make his first start since the return fixture at the Britannia Stadium last December.
And, despite being unable to round off the campaign with a victory, the stopper was happy with the opportunity to play his part as Saints cemented their 14th-placed finish.
"I very much enjoyed it," Davis said after the game. "It's always a pleasure to put a Saints shirt on, and none more so than in the final game of the season.
"It would have been nice to go out with a win but it wasn't to be, and I enjoyed it nevertheless."
In the previous two years, the final day of the season has tended to be something of a celebratory occasion with Saints having secured promotions in 2010-11 and 2011-12.
Those achievements led to pitch invasions at the end of Southampton's final home games in those seasons, but there was a different atmosphere at St Mary's yesterday.
Instead, the players were able to toast the achievement of a mid-table finish by completing a lap of appreciation at full time, much to Davis's satisfaction.
However, Davis – who was accompanied by his family as he and his teammates applauded the club's fans – admitted there was some disappointment that Saints did not register a win in their final six games of the season.
"We said in the dressing room that there was a bit of a lull because we didn't get the win and because we've had so much to celebrate [on the final day] before," he conceded.
"It's kind of a positive negative, if you like. We feel we can achieve more and we're looking forward to that next season."
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