Southampton taunted over 'Spygate' scandal in nightmare Championship return against Watford

Southampton discovered that the Championship will be an unforgiving arena this season as they were baited about Spygate on their way to being beaten 2-1 by a new-look Watford side at Vicarage Road.

Playing their first league fixture since the espionage affair that saw them thrown out of the play-offs in May, Eckert’s side had no answer to the home team’s energy and tenacity. The atmosphere was charged from the outset, with the Southampton players heckled both on.

The defeat already leaves Southampton sitting at the foot of the table following their four-point deduction after the Spygate scandal. Before the match, Eckert had attempted to shift the focus back to the pitch, stating "Let the football do the talking" during his pre-match media duties. However, that proved difficult as the ghosts of the summer continued to haunt his squad throughout a difficult ninety minutes in Hertfordshire.

The Watford goals both came from errant Southampton passes, highlighting the lack of composure in the visitors' ranks. Jack Stephens’ aimless kick was seized upon by Iker Bravo, a summer arrival from Udinese. The 21-year-old Spaniard did not hesitate, driving forward and stabbing the ball home to open the scoring.

Watford youth product Amin Nabizada then seized on another wayward Southampton pass, this time by Ryan Manning, to speed away down the right. It appeared as if the teenager had pushed the ball too far as he drove into the Southampton area before he suddenly unleashed a low shot into the far bottom corner.

Southampton reduced their arrears in the second half. Cameron Bragg stabbed the ball through to Cyle Larin 10 yards from goal, and the Canada international slid the ball past Federico Ravaglia in the 56th minute.

Southampton mounted a late siege to the Watford goal but Taylor Harwood-Bellis wasted their clearest opening. When the defender screwed a stoppage-time shot badly wide, the man seen as one of the villains of the saga was verbally riled by a succession of Watford players. The cloud of the investigation continues to loom large, with Eckert already preparing for a potential ban as the club awaits a final verdict on the espionage case.

Ex-Southampton striker Kevin Phillips told Sky Sports: "The pressure's going to start again, isn't it? They didn't perform today. You can't afford to slip up when you're four points behind. There's still a long way to go, and they showed last season that they can go on a run when they get it right. I don't think he picked the right team to start off with. The pressure's there, and we all know why."

The mockery of Southampton continued over the summer, with Wrexham taking a cheeky dig at the Saints after the Championship fixture release.

Wrexham are due to face Southampton in September and shared their schedule with the caption: "Taking us into the international break," accompanied by a magnifying glass and spy emoji. The trolling went further, with a reminder added to the calendar two days before the fixture telling staff to "check training ground" - a clear reference to the Spygate scandal.

Wrexham also altered Southampton’s crest, adding the silhouette of a man hiding behind a tree. The image referenced leaked photos of Southampton intern William Salt filming a Middlesbrough training session from a wooded area during the investigation.