Sunday 5 February 2017 12:11, UK
Jose Fonte admitted his relief after securing a 3-1 victory with new club West Ham at St Mary's on Saturday.
Fonte, 33, spent seven years with the Saints before exiting for West Ham during the January window for a fee of £8m.
The Portugal international returned to St Mary's just over two weeks after making the switch and revealed that the occasion against his old side had been emotional.
"It was a strange experience coming back to Southampton," said Fonte.
"It was emotional, difficult, but in the end I can say a big thank you to everyone, to the West Ham supporters and my team-mates for helping me get through it.
"I managed to block everything out and stay focused on the game. The most important thing was achieved, which is the three points and a great performance."
Despite falling behind early to a Manolo Gabbiadini goal on his Southampton debut, West Ham recovered to claim the three points thanks to goals from Andy Carroll, Pedro Obiang and Mark Noble.
The Hammers are now up to 9th in the table following a run of three wins in the last four league games, with Tony Pulis' West Brom the next club facing Slaven Bilic's side.
"It's never easy. That wasn't the start I wanted, we weren't at the races, but we showed great character and personality to come and play," Fonte added.
"We played some great football, scored three goals and could have scored a couple more. It was a fantastic performance from everyone and we move on to the next one."
