Southampton made hard work of Birmingham City on Saturday, needing a last gasp winner to beat the ten-man Blues.
Joe Aribo provided the match-winning moment from the bench to put Southampton back on track, however the fact the Saints shipped three goals will worry manager Russell Martin.
Despite the defensive woes, there were a number of good individual performances in the Southampton ranks.
Adam Armstrong scored his first goal in five, whilst loanee David Brooks showed his Premier League quality from the right of the front three. Most notable though, was the performance of Will Smallbone in midfield, with his captain keen to ensure the Southampton academy product felt the love of the Southampton faithful at full-time.
Jack Stephens makes sure Will Smallbone gets his moment
Smallbone is a divisive figure among the Southampton fanbase, with his place in the team constantly a topic of discussion.
A difficult cameo against Liverpool in midweek only added to that debate, with the 24-year-old only managing to complete just five passes in 20 minutes plus stoppage time. With that in mind, it was a surprise to see Martin start the Ireland international against Birmingham on Saturday but, with a return to his favoured centre midfield role following the return of Flynn Downes at the base of midfield, Smallbone silenced his critics.
In his 70 minutes at St Andrews, Smallbone completed 88% of his 40 passes and made two accurate crosses, but his biggest contribution was his two assists for the quick-fire double that turned the game on its head and took Southampton from 2-1 down to 3-2 ahead.
At the final whistle Southampton celebrated in front of their travelling fans and, instead of the Martin fistpumps that have become synonymous with a Saints win, it was Smallbone leading the celebrations after being pushed to the front of the squad.
Smallbone was met with a chorus of ‘He’s one of our own’ in what was described by Daily Echo Southampton reporter Alfie House as a ‘special moment’ and Martin confirmed after the celebrations had died down that it was “fantastic leader” Jack Stephens who had pushed the Staplewood graduate to the front.
This moment was a real show of support for a player who has had a tough week, having faced unnecessarily harsh criticism following the Liverpool defeat and shows the togetherness of a squad all pulling in the same direction. Stephens has himself not been a regular this season following an injury that kept him out of most of the first half of the season, but showed exactly why he is the Southampton captain with a really classy touch for a player he will have watched develop from a teenager.
Martin was quick to speak of his delight at the reception for Smallbone too, saying: “I am also so pleased for Will Smallbone, two assists and a great performance. He got kicked a few times and was booed by the home support.”