SAINTS midfielder Will Smallbone recalled insisting on going on loan last season despite former manager Ralph Hasenhuttl asking him to stay as one of his “best decisions”.

The 23 year old academy graduate has emerged as a regular feature under new boss Russell Martin this season, playing in all four Championship matches he has been fit for.

Smallbone spent last season on loan in the Championship, at Stoke City, making 43 league appearances as a regular senior player for the first time.

Smallbone, a Republic of Ireland international, signed a new three-year contract last month as he returned from a two-week injury.

Although the Basingstoke-born ace’s return to the fold has seen a 5-0 defeat at Sunderland and a 4-1 loss to Leicester City, Saints fought off Premier League interest to keep him.

In the matchday programme for Friday’s clash, Smallbone said: “I think everything in 2020 just seemed to go against me – my knee, alopecia and COVID, so I couldn’t really do much.

Daily Echo: Will Smallbone has extended his stay at the club

“It was a very dark period for many people in terms of covid but especially for me having these big things

“I did feel very, I don’t want to say down but it was a very tough time. The most challenging time in my career,” he added.

“But I made myself very proud to come through that and still come out the other side playing football and enjoying it, and hopefully with my best years ahead of me.

“I think it built up a lot of resilience in me, which I knew I had anyway, but maybe not as much as I thought I had. I think it is a lot of character-building that it did for me.

“I wouldn’t say I’m thankful that I had it but maybe in the long, long run, it was something good to experience at a young age to then allow you to build whatever comes in the future.

“My aim coming back to full fitness was always to go on loan and I knew from the season before that I felt I had done well in training but hadn’t been given the opportunity.

“I said to myself that I just wanted to play games now and decided that I wanted to go on loan. It just so happened that I had a good pre-season and then I still went away.

“We changed shape a little bit in pre-season and then I remember the gaffer saying to me ‘Stay’. We were changing to three in midfield and that helped me.

“But I remember I left and then within three or four games it had changed back to the other shape (4-2-2-2) that didn’t really suit me, so that was definitely the best decision I made.”