Having never really been handed an opportunity at West Ham, Flynn Downes will have the chance to show he belongs in the Premier League for Southampton this season.
After an impressive campaign on loan last season, Southampton made Flynn Downes their priority signing this summer and secured an £18 million deal.
Russell Martin is a huge fan of the midfielder and Downes did not look at all out of place as Southampton kicked off their Premier League return against Newcastle United.
The Saints were good value at St James’ Park and must have felt their luck was in as Fabian Schar was sent off on 28 minutes for an altercation with Ben Brereton Diaz.
However it was not to be, as a brave display was undone by a complete error of judgement by Alex McCarthy in goal as he misplaced a pass straight to Alexander Isak who squared to Joelinton to seal a 1-0 home win.
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Flynn Downes claims Southampton will take ‘positives’ from Newcastle defeat
Even before Schar’s red card, Southampton were more than holding their own against a Newcastle side that will be eyeing a top four finish this season.
The Saints sustained wave after wave of attack in the second-half but were unable to get their first goal of the new season against an inspired Newcastle defence.
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The performance deserved more and Downes told the official Southampton website post-match: “I think everyone in the dressing room is absolutely gutted.
The 25-year-old claims he saw enough from his side to believe they can enjoy success this season, though, adding: “But there’s a lot of positives to take from the game. I think even when we started with 11 vs 11, we were playing so well.
“We were breaking lines, making opportunities. But we made a mistake and they punished us, so it is what it is. That’s what comes with playing this way. But we’ll bounce back.”
Downes believes it only gets easier for Southampton after Newcastle defeat
St James’ Park has always been considered a tough ground for an away side to visit, even before the club’s newfound riches.
Downes’ comments reaffirmed this, as he said: “I think this is probably the toughest place to come.
Especially for our first game, the crowd, we knew they were going to full press. I mean, they’ve got absolute athletes, got 11 athletes on the pitch, so we knew their press was going to be tough, but the boys were unreal.”
Martin has instilled an unwavering belief in his Southampton players with the brand of football he wants them to play and Downes praised the courage shown when many could have reverted to type in such a big game.
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The ex-West Ham man said: “The bravery they showed [against Newcastle], as I said, not just when it was ten men but when it was 11 vs 11 for the first half hour, we were so good. But we’re just going to dust ourselves off and go again.
Southampton had 78% possession, 12 corners and 24 shots against the Magpies and Downes believes fans should take comfort from the display, concluding: “As long as we perform like that we’re going to be just fine.
“I think it’s clear to see the way we played there was so good. If we do it at home with our crowd behind us, we should be fine.”