Baggies boss Corberan reveals dark arts used by Saints to gain marginal advantage

WEST Brom boss Carlos Corberan lamented Southampton's use of the dark arts to gain an advantage in Friday night's playoff semi-final.

Saints ran out 3-1 winners thanks to a Will Smallbone opener and Adam Armstrong brace at St Mary's after a 0-0 draw in the first leg.

The Spaniard revealed the Baggies team bus was delayed entry to St Mary's due to the scenes outside the stadium before kick-off.

The visitors also saw their effective long throws hampered by additional advertising boardings placed by Saints closer to the pitch.

Speaking after the match, Corberan said: "Southampton has a very good attacking coach.

Opposing bosses Carlos Corberan and Russell Martin (Image: Stuart Martin)

"He’s probably one of the best I know in England – and very good players, but they did things they probably didn’t need to do.

“They didn’t need to limit the pitch to achieve the result they achieved today because they play amazing attacking football.

“I was very surprised. In football when you do things inside the regulations it is fair. If they need more or less then that is for everyone to decide.

“We put water on our pitch. The difference was that the game was at 2:15pm with the temperature that isn’t normal in this country.

“You cannot put water on the pitch during the first half when the referee stops the game to drink water – you can’t put water on the pitch.

“I always want to play the best football in the best pitch conditions. I never want to put the grass higher or longer.

"Unfortunately the conditions of our pitch aren’t the same as the Southampton pitch because financially we couldn’t invest in our pitch in the last two years.

“I think if they are doing that because we did that, then that is a mistake – you can do it because you want to but we only want to play in the best conditions.

“I think they were better than us in the game and attacked much better than us. That is why they are in the final in Wembley, they deserved it because they were better than us."

Corberan added: "I think the way that we came to the stadium today was not the right way.

Southampton's team bus was welcomed by thousands of supporters outside St Mary's (Image: Stuart Martin)

“We were on the bus for 15 minutes waiting to find the entrance to the stadium. I don’t know why nobody came to help us or followed normal protocol.

“I didn’t expect it and I don’t think it should have happened," he insisted.

“One team wanted to arrive 90 minutes before the game and we arrived 95 minutes before the game and we could only go to the dressing room 75 minutes before the game.

“It isn’t an excuse - we didn't lose because we arrived later than I wanted to arrive - but I think the level of protocol in this type of finals should be to the level of football."

The Daily Echo understands the smart idea to place boardings near the pitch came from CEO Phil Parsons and Sport Republic's Mark Bitcon.

EFL regulations stipulate that clubs must leave 2 metres of space between the touchline and the nearest obstruction.

Saints made adjustments to only marginally exceed the minimum amount and hampered the long throws of Darnell Furling.