SOUTHAMPTON'S men's and women's squads returned to the St Mary's turf on Thursday afternoon for an open training session.

Around five thousand fans were in attendance for the event with proceeds from tickets sold going to the Saints Foundation.

Russell Martin and Remi Allen's sides trained on the pitch at the same time as they were cheered on by supporters.

Ross Stewart was the most notable omission from men's training. He played no part at St Mary's having also missed Southampton's trip to Spain last week. Adam Lallana also missed out.

Armel Bella-Kochap was another who didn't travel to Girona, but the German defender was involved this time around.

The men's session revolved around recovery work following their 2-0 pre-season defeat at Oxford United the day before.

Sekou Mara went off with a knock during that friendly at the Kassam Stadium but was fit enough to return to training the next day.

There was no sign of Kamaldeen Sulemana, however. The Ghana international was also withdrawn on Wednesday and later seen leaving the stadium in a boot.

Club captain Jack Stephens was in attendance but didn't get involved with training. He spent time talking with Martin as his teammates warmed up, before later addressing supporters.

Jack Stephens watched on during Southampton's open training session.Jack Stephens watched on during Southampton's open training session. (Image: SDE)

New signing Ben Brereton Diaz spent the majority of training doing individual work. He was subjected to fitness drills while his new teammates did on-the-ball work.

After running in the sweltering Southampton sun, the Chile international switched to finishing and movement work. 

He worked closely with Martin. The pair linked up to play around other coaches before Brereton Diaz fired shots at Mat Lis.

Following the end of men's training, Adam Armstrong said: "It was a lovely day for it. Today was a recovery session so the lads didn't do too much."

Summer signing Nathan Wood added: "This is a great environment to work in on a daily basis. The players and staff have been great since I came in."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the pitch, the women's squad endured a more intense session.

New head coach Allen and her staff looked to increase the levels as Saints Women stepped up preparations for the new Women's Championship season.

They worked on passing drills before later playing a small-sided game built around playing out from the back.

First-choice-goalkeeper Kayla Rendell watched on from the touchline as she continued her rehab work.

The England youth international had successful surgery this summer which forced her to withdraw from the England squad.

Supporters got their first glimpse of new signings like Rachel Rowe and Tara Bourne, while four under-21s players trained alongside the seniors.

Prior to training, both squads held a signing session, giving supporters a chance to meet their heroes and get their shirts signed.

Charly Alcaraz was by far the most popular player. His queue was so long at one point that it prevented some from reaching Paul Onuachu in the corner of the room.

Martin stayed behind long after training had finished to sign autographs for supporters in the stands. He remained right up until having to leave four minutes before a meeting at 4pm.