It was the icing on what turned out to be a delicious cake. On a warm late summer night in Cambridge, Saints were cruising through to the third round of the EFL Cup when Yan Valery was released into space down the right wing.

He lifted his head and crossed in the direction of Sékou Mara but a defender’s desperate touch saw the ball fall to Dom Ballard 12 yards from goal.

Everything seemed to freeze as Ballard fired. Saved. Everything seemed to freeze a second time as the ball came back to Ballard. No mistake this time.

The teenager wheeled away to celebrate on the bizarrely empty patch of grass in front of the raucous Saints away end. A special moment to cap off what was a rarely special night amongst the ocassionally mundane early rounds of the League Cup.

Four days, two wins. It’s been a good week for Ralph Hasenhuttl and his Saints team. Granted, Tuesday night’s 3-0 victory came against League One opposition but this was a very good night for the entire club, owed in no small part to the window into the future on display.

In addition to Ballard’s exciting cameo, 18-year-old Lewis Payne started and played 75 minutes while Diamond Edwards came off the bench for the final moments plus stoppage time. Three debuts from the academy makes a good night a special night. Perhaps that wouldn’t be the case at every club but at Southampton it certainly is.

Daily Echo: Lyanco and Diamond Edwards applaud the Saints fans. Image by: PALyanco and Diamond Edwards applaud the Saints fans. Image by: PA

Much has been made of Saints youthful rebuild this summer - bringing in five first team players with an average age of 20.8 - and it has provided immediate excitement and long-term potential. This is how Sport Republic want to build and it’s what they will continue to do.

But as Saints recruit some of the brightest young talents from around the country and continent, it is imperative that they remember and understand what they have in-house. Tuesday’s win at Cambridge provided the latest evidence of the obscene quality in the academy ranks.

When Saints visited Austria for their pre-season training camp, Diamond Edwards and Thierry Small were the only untested youngsters afforded seats on the plane. It was a bit of a shame to see no others given a chance to impress before the pressure of the Premier League season took over but it was a sign of a bloated squad and a blocked pathway.

With Nathan Tella and Will Smallbone the only players to depart from the first team group thus far in the summer window, Hasenhuttl’s squad sits at a rather mammoth 27 players. Of those 27, only Romain Perruad, Tino Livramento, Theo Walcott, Nathan Redmond, and Sekou Mara (who had yet to sign) didn’t make the trip to central Europe meaning there just wasn’t room for the young talent rising through the club.

Hasenhuttl went far bolder for the journey to Cambridge, leaving James Ward-Prowse, Kyle Walker-Peters, Armel Bella-Kotchap, and Gavin Bazunu behind to rest while Walcott, Redmond, and Jack Stephens were left out. Those absences created space for four youngsters: Payne, Ballard, Edwards, and Dynel Simeu.

By full-time it became incredibly clear why that was such a necessary move and why Saints must do everything possible to open up the pathway for their talented academy members. While Ballard stole the headlines with his debut strike, Payne was perhaps even more of an endorsement for the readiness of he and his fellow academy teammates.

Strapped for full-back options and wanting to rest Walker-Peters, Hasenhuttl put his trust in Payne and the debutant didn’t let his manager down. While he started to tire towards the end of his 75 minutes, Payne did not look out of place as he did his best Walker-Peters impression, touching the ball 66 times, covering nearly every blade of grass on his right flank - as evidenced by his touch-map below.

Daily Echo: Lewis Payne's touch map vs Cambridge. Image by: WhoScoredLewis Payne's touch map vs Cambridge. Image by: WhoScored

In addition, he was calm and incisive on the ball - setting up Che Adams for his first goal - before sending him through past the Cambridge defence with a beautiful splitting pass shortly after. The passage ended with an Adam Armstrong shot cleared off the line.

“Really good game for him to start here on the right side,” Hasenhuttl said of Payne’s performance. “Beautiful first assist, found the right player in the box. Had some good runs on the outside and what I really like is that he lifts his head and finds the right pass to do.

“It was clear that in the end he was a little bit tired but he invested a lot and it’s always good when you come in and start such a game and can play so long as a young player.”

Perhaps above all though, it was a somewhat innocuous moment midway through the first half that provided evidence Payne can cope in the world of professional football. After getting muscled off the ball by a towering Cambridge attacker, Payne pushed himself back onto his feet before sliding in with a stern (but clean) sliding tackle to win it back.

Experienced pros will always try to bully those just getting started and this was a real test of Payne’s mettle: he passed in that moment, showing the edge that’s needed to compete at the top levels.

Coupled with that character was real quality - from Payne’s passes to Ballard’s smart movement and finishing. But to anyone who has had the privilege of watching Saints’ B team and under-18s over the last year, this would come as no surprise. 

Dave Horseman’s B team began the new season with a trip to Nottingham Forest and against a side fielding multiple first team players, they came from a goal down to win 3-1. In pre-season, they held League One Wycombe Wanderers to a 1-1 scoreline until the final minutes. 

Their Premier League 2 campaign has started with three consecutive wins, ten goals scored, and just two conceded. Last season, Carl Martin and Mikey Harris’ under-18s won the Southern division before being edged out by Manchester City in the National Final at St Mary’s.

Jimmy Jay Morgan is another young player in the academy who has been training for the first team. He assisted Ballard twice in the B team's recent 4-1 win against West Brom, the second an inch-perfect outside of the boot through ball to the striker who chipped the keeper audaciously. 

It’s important to temper expectations despite very real excitement around some of Saints’ brightest young players. Ballard is still just 17-years-old and has work to do in his physical maturation. These youngsters require patience. But it’s also extremely obvious that the groups rising through the academy at this time are truly special and a pathway must be there for them to show that at the highest level.

Saints are in a relatively quiet era of consistent academy presence and progress in the first team. Of the current squad, James Ward-Prowse - who made his debut in 2011 - and Theo Walcott - who made his debut in 2005 came from the academy. Walcott clearly isn't part of Hasenhuttl's plans and is of course in his return spell.

Smallbone and Tella - both on loan in the Championship have had spells where they've looked like becoming first team regulars but it remains just Ward-Prowse.

There's very understandable hope that players at the club and on loan can really make an impact at the top. That much is clear from the under-18s and B team success as well as the three debuts on Tuesday.

Some, like Ballard, have been at the club since they were young kids while others have been brought in from elsewhere. Diamond Edwards joined from Reading at the age of 16 while just last week Saints announced that Sam Amo-Ameyah (also 16) had signed from Spurs.

Saints did also lose Tyler Dibling to Chelsea as recruitment at the academy level grows but overall they are in excellent shape for the coming years. Largely made up of 15-19-year-olds though, both the B team and under-18s are very young groups and will require patience.

A personal fear of mine while watching Saints attack a youthful market this summer was that it would block the route for those in the academy. If you’re a 17-year-old raised at the club, how would you feel about an expensively purchased 20-year-old joining in your position? 

Kamari Doyle’s decision to sign his first professional contract with the club when he turned 17 in August provided a show of faith that there is a belief talent can win out and opportunities will be there. The same is true of Ballard's deal in April.

Hasenhuttl’s decision to go for youth over experience in his Cambridge squad was another vital sign that this is the case. And that’s how it should be. In some ways, it’s easier to put the likes of Walcott and Stephens on the bench, that’s what most would have expected. But Saints don’t gain anything from that. Those are players who have already been deemed not good enough and their ceiling isn’t suddenly going to grow.

Saints do, however, gain a huge amount from giving those opportunities to their academy stars. It shows them tangible proof that there are opportunities available, it gives them vital experience, and more than that - they can truly help the team - as seen on Tuesday night.

The chances for Payne, Ballard, and Edwards weren’t just handed out, they were earned. Upward mobility has to be there for players who do what they have done in youth football - they couldn’t really have done any more over the last year. 

On top of all that, there’s something special about players coming through the academy and playing for the first team. No buy-back clauses or loans. Many of them are Saints - it’s in their blood.

That’s a sentiment not lost on Hasenhuttl who couldn’t hide his joy at seeing Ballard get off the mark within nine minutes of his first team bow.

“Good goal, good celebration,” Hasenhuttl laughed.

“It’s always nice to see how much young lads enjoy playing for you and how much they enjoy scoring for you and how much it means to him. You could feel it immediately. 

“This is good because he wanted to score this goal. First, it wasn’t in and then the rebound was in the goal. It was good to see.”

Clearing out the proverbial deadwood is much easier said than done - that has been abundantly clear this summer. But last night’s message should stick.

For those who aren’t in the plans but choose to stay - as is their right with a contract in place - opportunities won’t just be handed their way based on age or past production. Minutes must be earnt. This is how the pathway can be made clear even when the club is spending big money on players just slightly senior to those already in the youth system.

Tuesday night's debutants shouldn't be rushed over overburdened with expectation but they've shown themselves ready for more.

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this article - we appreciate your support in reading the Daily Echo.

Subscribing to the Echo means you have unrestricted access to the latest news, features and Saints coverage - all with an advertising-light website.

You will also have full access to Saintsplus, your new home for Southampton FC tactical analysis, features and much, much more.

Don't take my word for it - subscribe here to see for yourself.

Follow the latest breaking news in the Southampton area by joining our Facebook group - Southampton News - Breaking News and Incidents

Follow the latest court and crime news on our dedicated Facebook group - Hampshire Court and Crime News