Initial training ground incident: On May 7, Southampton performance analysis intern William Salt was caught hiding behind a tree at Rockliffe Park while using a smartphone to secretly film Middlesbrough’s closed training session.
After being confronted by Boro staff, he fled across the neighbouring golf course and changed his clothes in the clubhouse toilets to evade identification.
Aggravating evidence and further admissions: Middlesbrough staff managed to take photographs of the intruder and quickly matched his face to the intern profile displayed publicly on Southampton's official website.
During the subsequent investigation, the Saints also admitted to spying on training sessions at Oxford United in December and automatic promotion winners Ipswich Town in April.
Escalating tension during the semi-finals: Despite the allegations, the two legs of the play-off semi-final went ahead, with Southampton securing a 2-1 aggregate victory thanks to an extra-time goal from Shea Charles.
