IT IS beginning to feel all rather ordinary, the continued acclaim of Saints players barely out of secondary school.

Be assured, it verges on extraordinary.

Winning the Under-18 Premier League last season was an early sign. Dom Ballard scoring his first goal for the first-team with three academy debutants continued the trend.

Consistent involvement in England – and other countries – international youth teams is now standard for the post-2005 group at Staplewood Campus.

Jimmy Jay Morgan, still just 16 years old, was playing for the under-16s team only last season but can now be seen training with Ralph Hasenhuttl’s first-team on occasion.

Daily Echo: Jimmy Jay Morgan (Pic: Ricky Hart)Jimmy Jay Morgan (Pic: Ricky Hart) (Image: Ricky Hart)

Professional contracts cannot be ratified by the FA until one turns 17, but the club have fought hard to keep Morgan in advance. Morgan himself is said to believe Saints is the best place for his development.

“100 per cent I still need to grow,” the youngster explained to the Daily Echo. “I know I need to be patient with myself and then the club will be patient with me as well, they've already told me.

“I know I've got time and there's no rush for me to try and get to the first team, I need to do it in my own time and I know my chance will come.

“Obviously, the club know that when I develop I should be able to compete physically so being able to play technically now on the pitch and Dave (Horseman) backing me is massive for me.”

Morgan’s composure and technical ability on the ball – just months after his Premier League 2 debut – is already that of making a chipped finish something of a trademark.

Even discounting the advantage of an additional step from a pitchside perch to the turf on which Morgan was standing, it is evident, physically, there is growing to be done.

When it comes, it could be frightening. Morgan already shows no signs of nervousness in throwing himself about and leaves almost every game he plays with a limp.

“It’s a part of the club's philosophy, we all fight for each other,” he insisted. “We play a really aggressive high press, we want to win the ball to score and we’re all behind each other.”

B team coach Horseman has been insightful to the Daily Echo about the curation of a games programme designed to test the limits of a talented but young group.

He admitted some fortune in that. Particularly, a recent Premier League 2 fixture at Leeds United’s Elland Road that – as a result of senior postponements – saw Saints B face seasoned Premier League players in front of 11,000 supporters.

Saints B had their match with Derby County the weekend before cancelled due to the passing of The Queen, having already travelled up to Loughborough.

Morgan is thought to have been informed he would have been a substitute, with Horseman eyeing some rest for him to face head on the Elland Road experience.

Daily Echo: Head coach Dave Horseman (Pic: Ricky Hart)Head coach Dave Horseman (Pic: Ricky Hart) (Image: Ricky Hart)

“It was amazing,” Morgan recalled, having faced the likes of Patrick Bamford, Luke Ayling and Liam Cooper.

“The physicality is obviously a challenge for all of us because we're young and underdeveloped but playing against players that are faster and quicker than us makes us think quicker.

“And it also helps us develop a lot. It's great that Dave backs us and he doesn't care about the age, he looks inside and he knows we've got great players.”

Leeds ran out comfortable 6-2 winners, and Morgan insisted their fans made a tougher experience still than that of Portsmouth on Tuesday – with a cheeky smile.

At Fratton Park, Morgan - who joined Saints from Chelsea early in his academy development - and his teammates were subject to a true derby spirit from the 2,500-strong crowd.

“It's a good experience, obviously. But we try to block out as much as we can and just concentrate on the game,” he said.

Morgan scored twice to get off the mark for Horseman’s side for the season, while already four goals behind the senior Pompey side.

Daily Echo: Morgan during last season's Under-18 Premier League final (Pic: Stuart Martin)Morgan during last season's Under-18 Premier League final (Pic: Stuart Martin) (Image: Stuart Martin)

His previous contributions had come by way of five assists in five league matches - and it is usually Ballard on the receiving end. 

Morgan leads the combined goals/assists per 90 minutes with 1.22 across under-18 and under-21 matches. Last season, he also had more than one contribution per 90.

“It's everything for me. I'm a striker and all I want to do is score goals,” Morgan admitted. “Whether that means Dave puts me in the under-18s to get me some goals.

“It just means I can top my tally up. I want to score 40-50 goals a season, not 30 and not 20. Any opportunity to score more goals I always take it.”

Morgan is making his Young Lions experiences an opportunity to add those goals too. Playing for England’s under-17s – alongside teammates Nat Boot and Sam Amo-Ameyaw – he has three in his last four.

“Being away with England is very physically demanding and mentally demanding,” Morgan revealed. “Being away for 13 days with the same people, usually with games coming very fast.

“We've got European Championships coming up in a couple of weeks and we know how demanding it is so when we get back it’s sort of like a relief. But at the same time, we're in the B team and everything is 100 per cent every week, we give everything.”

Morgan added: “It’s great though, there's no experience like going on international. You get to play different cultures, different formations, and different styles of play with different managers. It gives us so many tools.

“When we come back here, we've got a very set way of playing. It's hard to adapt and get that England cap on when you go away, but it's just a great experience for us as young players.”

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