Russell Martin said he was happy to repay the faith shown in him by Southampton after the Saints secured a return to the Premier League with victory over Leeds United in Sunday's Championship play-off final.
Adam Armstrong's clinical first half strike sealed a 1-0 win against Leeds at Wembley, sealing a return to England's top tier following their relegation in 2022.
The win went some way to justifying Martin's appointment, whose arrival at St Mary's last June was greeted with little fanfare.
In his first season on England's south coast, Russell has revitalised a team that was shattered by their bottom of the Premier League finish 12 months ago.
Winning promotion will finally silence the doubters who questioned whether a manager who led Swansea to a mid-table position in the Championship in 2023 was the right man for the job.
Just three years ago, former Scotland and Norwich defender Martin was managing Milton Keynes Dons in the third tier, but now he can look forward to pitting his wits against Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta and company.
The 38-year-old paid tribute to Southampton's owners and former director of football Jason Wilcox, who brought him to the club but left to join Manchester United last month.
"I just feel grateful to the owners for giving me the opportunity in the first place, for Jason. I feel immense pride in what we have achieved," Martin said.
"I feel like it wasn't a sexy appointment for Southampton Football Club, me coming in, but they were brave enough to give me the opportunity and hopefully we have repaid them with a day they will remember forever.
"It has given me one of the best days of my career for sure, so yeah I just feel nothing but gratitude and a lot of love for the people I've worked with all year."
Southampton had a rollercoaster ride to Wembley, losing four in a row in September before Martin oversaw a club record 25-match unbeaten run.
A poor end to the campaign, including a 5-0 loss at champions Leicester City, threatened to derail their promotion bid, but they regrouped to beat West Bromwich Albion in the play-off semi-finals.
Armstrong's fine finish in the Wembley sunshine meant Martin could savour success for the third time this season against Leeds boss Daniel Farke, who was in charge at Norwich when the defender's contract was acrimoniously terminated in 2018.
"We scored a really nice goal and it is something the guys work on a lot in terms of the way it built up," Martin said.
"I didn't want us to defend as long as we did in the last 25 minutes, but with the tension in the game, I understand that because it's a big occasion."
Defeat for Leeds consigned them to more play-off heartache as their fourth defeat in the final consigned them to a second season outside the top-flight.
It was a bitter blow for Farke's team, who were pipped to automatic promotion by Ipswich Town after squandering their lead late in the season.
Leeds must now face up to the stark reality of potentially selling several key players to make up for missing out on the £140 million ($177 million) windfall that comes with promotion to the Premier League.
"Yes, as you can imagine it couldn't be worse. Obviously we're suffering a lot in this moment," Farke said.
"I can't really say we are the worst side in this final and to lose this final hurts a lot.
"We are very disappointed, but I also don't want to miss to say first of all congratulations to Southampton. They defended really well and were pretty effective."
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
More coverage from the Future Forum
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
BRAZIL SQUAD
Alisson (Liverpool), Daniel Fuzato (Roma), Ederson (Man City); Alex Sandro (Juventus), Danilo (Juventus), Eder Militao (Real Madrid), Emerson (Real Betis), Felipe (Atletico Madrid), Marquinhos (PSG), Renan Lodi (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Silva (PSG); Arthur (Barcelona), Casemiro (Real Madrid), Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa), Fabinho (Liverpool), Lucas Paqueta (AC Milan), Philippe Coutinho (Bayern Munich); David Neres (Ajax), Gabriel Jesus (Man City), Richarlison (Everton), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Willian (Chelsea).
How to become a Boglehead
Bogleheads follow simple investing philosophies to build their wealth and live better lives. Just follow these steps.
• Spend less than you earn and save the rest. You can do this by earning more, or being frugal. Better still, do both.
• Invest early, invest often. It takes time to grow your wealth on the stock market. The sooner you begin, the better.
• Choose the right level of risk. Don't gamble by investing in get-rich-quick schemes or high-risk plays. Don't play it too safe, either, by leaving long-term savings in cash.
• Diversify. Do not keep all your eggs in one basket. Spread your money between different companies, sectors, markets and asset classes such as bonds and property.
• Keep charges low. The biggest drag on investment performance is all the charges you pay to advisers and active fund managers.
• Keep it simple. Complexity is your enemy. You can build a balanced, diversified portfolio with just a handful of ETFs.
• Forget timing the market. Nobody knows where share prices will go next, so don't try to second-guess them.
• Stick with it. Do not sell up in a market crash. Use the opportunity to invest more at the lower price.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
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Emirates Cricket Board Women’s T10
ECB Hawks v ECB Falcons
Monday, April 6, 7.30pm, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
The match will be broadcast live on the My Sports Eye Facebook page
Hawks
Coach: Chaitrali Kalgutkar
Squad: Chaya Mughal (captain), Archara Supriya, Chamani Senevirathne, Chathurika Anand, Geethika Jyothis, Indhuja Nandakumar, Kashish Loungani, Khushi Sharma, Khushi Tanwar, Rinitha Rajith, Siddhi Pagarani, Siya Gokhale, Subha Srinivasan, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish
Falcons
Coach: Najeeb Amar
Squad: Kavisha Kumari (captain), Almaseera Jahangir, Annika Shivpuri, Archisha Mukherjee, Judit Cleetus, Ishani Senavirathne, Lavanya Keny, Mahika Gaur, Malavika Unnithan, Rishitha Rajith, Rithika Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Shashini Kaluarachchi, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Vaishnave Mahesh
