The 2006-07 campaign was a season of inconsistency and dramatic near-miss for Southampton as The Saints narrowly secured a 6th-place finish in the Championship to qualify for the play-offs. Leading the line was the prolific Polish striker Grzegorz Rasiak, whose 18 league goals proved vital, but the side was defined by the stunning emergence of 17-year-old left-back Gareth Bale, whose free-kicks and surging runs captured the attention of the top flight. It was a turbulent year that ended in heartbreak, as they were defeated on penalties by Derby County in the play-off semi-finals, a dramatic finale that signaled the end of a chapter before Bale's eventual move to Tottenham.