EVERY word captain Jack Stephens said after Southampton were thumped 5-0 by Leicester City on Tuesday evening.

Jack, that obviously hasn't gone the way you wanted it to. How is the feeling in the dressing room after that 5-0 defeat?

JS: It's low. It's just not good enough, it's really not good enough, I know that's obvious to say but I think sometimes when you lose football matches, you can be a little bit unlucky, you can give it everything and just come up short sometimes.

There might be a decision that goes against you or a bit of quality, but the way we finished our game tonight is totally unacceptable. That's on us as a group of players, at 2-0 the game's not done and we've seen time and time again, in this league especially, that at 2-0 the game's never over.

But the way we finished that game and almost threw the towel in and gave up, it's quite harsh to say but I can't think of any other way to describe that.

The way it went 3-0, 4-0, 5-0 was totally unacceptable for this group and this football club, so that's on us as a group of players, that's not on anyone else. We need to really look at ourselves and ask if we really want to do what we want to do.

Were the conversations after the game about it not being good enough? 

JS:  Yeah, it's not acceptable, it's nowhere near acceptable. Sometimes you lose football matches and that happens. Sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it doesn't, but you have to give everything.

If you don't give everything then you're relying on a little bit of luck, a little bit of quality, I'm struggling to find any other explanation. That last 30 minutes of the game is so unacceptable.

We've got a massive few weeks coming up we've got a big decision to make, do we want to really stick together, pull together and get to where we want to get to or do we just let the season fizzle out, stumble into the playoffs, cross our fingers and hope for the best.

I know what I want to do and I'm pretty sure the lads will be the same but we need to really find out because, like I said, tonight was nowhere near good enough.

How tough will it be to pick yourselves up after such a heavy defeat? 

JS: It shouldn't be tough at all, it should be the easiest thing in the world.

I think when people look at that and say we gave up, they'd be right. I think that's the worst thing anyone can say about a football player or a group of players.

I think it's such an easy thing to bounce back from, there's only one option. We have a home game coming up, our last home game of the season. The only option is to go out there and give everything for this football club.

We have to show that we really care, show that we really want to get into the playoffs with real momentum and show that we really want to get promoted because, at the moment, we're not showing that. 

We have to be honest with ourselves and I think if you look at Leicester tonight, probably for an hour there's not an awful lot between the two teams but I think they really really wanted it, they wanted to win tonight.

You can see that and that's the big difference at the moment. That hurts me, that hurts this football club and it can't happen - that can't carry on for any longer, it has to stop right now.

We have to bounce back, there's no other option. On Saturday we are playing our last home game of the season, it's the only place to start.

After the game you lead your teammates across to the away supporters, how important was it to have that moment and apologise to them after that result? 

JS: Again, it's the only option, they shouldn't even be here at the end but the fact that they are says a lot about them as fans.

For them to just come tonight, on a Tuesday evening when we have a very slim chance of getting automatic promotion - still sold out away at Leicester - and we've let them down massively.

We have massively let them down tonight so, of course, the only option is to go over and applaud them, we have to, we have to be grateful for what they've given us all season. 

They've sold out almost every away end this season. They've travelled everywhere with us. They've stuck with us so that's the only option. We should clap the fans after every game but no more so than tonight, because as I keep saying, it's not good enough.

It's embarrassing for us but it's embarrassing for them because they've travelled all this way to watch that and that's not how their team should be playing. That's on us.

What do you even say to each other as players after a performance like that?

JS: Obviously I don't want to go into too much detail but we have to understand that that's not acceptable. We've lost games this season where we've given everything and we've maybe not been quite at it technically, tactically or things just haven't quite gone our way.

None of that was the case tonight. It's about grit, determination and staying in the game. When it goes to 2-0 there's none of that, it just goes 3-0, 4-0, 5-0 and that's not acceptable. We all need to take accountability for that. 

You set standards with your unbeaten run and now you are in a wobble. Leicester had a wobble and look like they've come out the other end. Do you think you can do that heading into the playoffs? 

JS: I think that's the championship, it's never plain sailing, there are so many bumps in the road. We've had our bumps in the road through the season but tonight is not good enough.

Now we've got two options, we either sulk, moan, let the season fizzle out and just drift into the playoffs, hoping for the best or we look ourselves in the mirror, be really honest with ourselves, ask some honest and harsh questions to each other and find out if we really, really want it because we have to go into the playoffs with real momentum.

We've seen over the past couple of years that teams that go in with the momentum have a really good record and we've got two opportunities now to do that so that's the only option for us.