The Southampton Spygate controversy is deeply annoying, and not only because it’s the latest example of a scandal immediately having the suffix -gate added to it for no logical reason!

Not only did Southampton’s actions taint the play-offs, but they left Wrexham fans feeling robbed.

We could have been in the play-offs if the inaptly-named Saints hadn’t resorted to cheating in overtaking us, and even last weekend the frustration still lingered.

How seriously are we supposed to take the thought that Wrexham could have been playing for a place in the Premier League at Wembley last Saturday? And should we be angry?

The whole farce surrounding Southampton spying on Middlesbrough was mind-blowing.

Initially, seeing some guy lurking behind tree trying to take footage of Middlesbrough set pieces was amusing. It was no joke for Southampton, though, when they were thrown out of the Play-off final against Hull City.

In a carefully-timed statement shortly before kick-off at Wembley, Acun Ilicali, the Hull City owner used Wrexham’s name in vain, suggesting that we should have been the beneficiaries of Southampton’s misbehaviour.

Why, he reasoned, should Middlesbrough benefit when they had lost in the playoffs? Instead, he felt that Wrexham should be elevated into the post-season games, and although it has been assumed he was suggesting a replay of the playoffs, in reality he was proposing something much more radical.

If you look at what he’s actually saying, he’s arguing that Wrexham should’ve been put straight through to the play-off final.

Certainly, there’d be little logic in Middlesborough being denied a place because they lost a semi-final despite playing under a disadvantage, while Millwall were given a second chance when they had lost fair and square to the Tigers.

Furthermore, I find it very difficult to imagine that he was arguing for a complete replay of the playoffs because his team were already in the final!

I don’t think he was the first person in history to volunteer for an extra trip to Millwall! No, he was suggesting that last Saturday should’ve been a game between Hull and Wrexham.

I’ve no doubt he was being disingenuous. The main thrust of his point was that it wasn’t fair for Hull to be facing Middlesbrough.

Clearly, he was preparing the ground for legal action if they lost. I strongly suspect that if Southampton had been hit with a fine but not an expulsion, he would have been arguing exactly the same point but against Southampton in preparation for any court motion he might make post-match.

Still it’s a heck of a thought, and when you weigh it all up it makes you realise that we were even closer to getting into the Premier League than we thought.

Certainly, if Southampton spying at Ipswich and Oxford had been revealed a week earlier, it’s they would not have been allowed to play in the playoffs.

We would’ve been in the last four, and who knows what might have happened?

Never mind what-ifs. Southampton’s actions will have a concrete impact on us next season. We’ll both be looking to make another bid for the Premier League, but perhaps The Saints are very lucky to be in a position to have such an ambition.

The four point deduction they will be playing under next season is the main surprise from the EFL deliberations.

What Southampton did was very serious: so serious that the season was curtailed early. That’s a massive statement by the EFL and one I agree with completely.

The severity of the punishment reflects the need to establish a deterrent. The message that you can’t spy on the opposition in the knowledge that you can just choose to pay a fine and carry on doing it is an important one.

That’s why it’s truly surprising that the EFL have also set the precedent that spying on a league game is only worth a two point penalty.

Surely that’s too small a price to pay? It’s not even the full three points available from the match! Are the EFL expecting more cases to come to light? Do they think they will have to act further against the Saints? If not, they’ve got off lightly.

Clearly, the story does not end here for them. There will be repercussions for individuals at the club at the very least. Hefty bans from the game seem to be a very likely outcome.

It’s been a sordid and tawdry affair. To be honest I’m glad we didn’t benefit from it. I’d rather get promoted fair and square, even if some people at other clubs obviously don’t sees it that way!

There are a couple of real positives to come from all of this, though.

Firstly, we get a dress up in camouflage and wave toy binoculars at the Southampton players when they come to the Racecourse next season!

Secondly, we get to see Middlesbrough play Southampton next season. That could be fun!