SAINTS captain Jack Stephens and club legend Jason Dodd have paid tribute to former scout Rod Ruddick, who passed away earlier this month.

Ruddick, who passed away at the age of 80, was the man who spotted and recommended a nine year old Gareth Bale to the club. 

Ruddick began his association with the club in the 1980s as a part-time scout and became manager of the Bath Satellite Academy, working until 2020.

Dodd, whose club record for Premier League appearances was broken by former skipper James Ward-Prowse last season, was also among the likes of Nathan Dyer, Martin Cranie and many more that Ruddick spotted.

“I was at Bath City and wasn’t picked up by anybody,” Dodd told club media. “I was 18 and I’d sort of missed the boat on youth football a bit.

“But Rod was the driving force that got me the trial down here for six weeks. I wasn’t sure about it, but he was instrumental in saying ‘You’ve got to give it a go, I believe in you’ and luckily for me Chris Nicholl, the manager at the time, also believed in me.

“Because of Rod I got to come down and earned a professional contract. I was just lucky I had someone like Rod who believed in me, pushed me and helped me fulfil a dream I didn’t think I would be able to.”

Stephens, who signed for Saints as a teenager from Plymouth Argyle in 2011 before becoming captain this month, detailed: "I think I was about 11 or 12, playing in a tournament for my school.

"Rod was there working as a scout for Southampton and he spoke to my dad and obviously realised it was too far for me to come for a trial, so he spoke to someone he knew at Plymouth and got me a trial there.

“He was a massive part of me eventually coming here, but originally going to Plymouth, so I've got a lot to owe Rod for. He had so much passion for his job. He loved scouting and watching games.

“You could just see how proud he was that he was able to find so many players that could help this football club and other football clubs as well. There are hundreds that he's probably had a big influence on.

"He was a brilliant, brilliant scout, but just an even better bloke. A really nice man who had time for everyone. Just an all-round brilliant guy.”

Dodd echoed those thoughts, adding: “He was a friend and was someone you could rely on. He was just a lovely man.

“He was very, very good at what he did and it’s not a surprise he was instrumental in getting numerous players professional deals and helping them make a living out of football.”