SOUTHAMPTON and Winchester City may be worlds apart in footballing status, but ex-Saint Craig Richards should feel very much at home at the Denplan City Ground.

Richards, who finally made his debut for Winchester in their 2-1 win at Gosport Borough on Tuesday, will be familiar with the coaching techniques employed by manager Robbie Elliott who was an under-13 Academy coach at St Mary’s and still works for Saints as a community officer.

“Like me Craig was a Bitterne Park schoolboy and, although I didn’t coach him at Saints, I used to see him at the Academy when everyone from the under-12s to the under-16s trained on the same nights,” said Elliott.

“Craig has played under Gordon Strachan and George Burley at Saints and worked with Georges Prost and Steve Wigley, so he’s had a lot of high profile coaches in his time.

“I’m not trying to emulate that, but Craig knows what he’s going to get here. I want him to feel that he hasn’t left too much of that professional environment behind, apart from the full-time training.”

Richards, 22, grew up with Saints and made history as the first ever player to score a hat-trick at the new St Mary’s Stadium when playing as under-15 schoolboy in the George Reed Trophy.

He captained the youth side and made his debut for the reserves as a schoolboy against Nottingham Forest in 2002/03.

Towards the end of the 2005/06 season he was told he would not be retained and had a trial with Grimsby, who wanted to sign him.

But his pro dreams were shattered when he fractured his fibula and dislocated his ankle in a play-off semi-final for Saints and he has since done the non-League rounds with the likes of Eastleigh, Salisbury and Lewes.

Despite interest from Eastleigh and Totton, Richards signed for Winchester towards the end of last year but was kept waiting for his debut by the frozen and wet weather.

“We thought Craig was the reason we hadn’t played.

Ever since he’d been here our games had been called off!” laughed Elliott.

“Where he hadn’t played too much after his break from Lewes, he just wanted to get out there again. The whole team were champing at the bit to play Gosport.”

Richards played his part by setting up one of Richard Gregory’s two goals and Elliott is convinced Winchester will benefit from his experience.

“It was only a couple of years or so ago that Craig was with Saints and it’s just the little things he knows that make a difference,” he said.

“He’s a strong lad for his age and even though he’s not our captain, he can bring leadership skills to the side.”

Having edged off the bottom of the Southern 1 South & West courtesy of Andover’s 5-0 hammering at Cinderford last Saturday, Winchester have now dragged themselves out of the bottom two on goal difference from their Hampshire neighbours.

The Gosport win made it ten points banked from the last 12 for Elliott’s resurgent troops going into tomorrow’s home game against sixth-tobottom AFC Hayes.

Central midfielder Matt Palmer is still recovering from an ankle ligament injury.

And fellow ligament victim, striker Taylor Morgan, is another week away from fitness after twisting his ankle in training.

Central defender Matt Bowler has parted company with City along with Paul Worsfold, Ian Davies and TJ McClory-Cuthbertson.