Southampton have become well-known for producing academy player after academy player for their first-team, and Josh Sims became the latest in a long line of youth stars to make his full league debut for the club in the 1-0 win against Everton last weekend.
The 19-year-old wasted no time in making an impression for a Saints side that had struggled to score from open play in recent weeks, setting up Charlie Austin for the decisive goal after just 43 seconds.
As well as picking up an early assist, Sims impressed with his all-round play, direct running and general impact in the final third, and he may have put himself in contention for some more starts for the first-team in the immediate future.
He isn’t the first to have made an impact and he won’t be the last.
Here are THREE other Saints academy players that impressed on their full league debut…
Alan Shearer vs. Arsenal (April 9, 1988)
Some people may forget that Shearer actually started his career with the Saints, with his full league debut for the club proving to be quite a memorable one!
Aged just 17 and 240 days, the striker scored a hat-trick in the First Division match against Arsenal at the Dell.
Two close-range headers and a finish at the back post made everyone sit up and take notice, and Shearer eventually joined Blackburn Rovers for £3.6m in 1992.
James Ward-Prowse vs. Manchester City (August 19, 2012)
Having just been promoted back to the Premier League after a seven-year absence, then Saints boss Nigel Adkins sprung a bit of a surprise on the opening day of the season away against champions Manchester City.
He named 17-year-old Ward-Prowse in the starting line-up alongside Morgan Schneiderlin in central midfield, and the academy graduate looked like he had played in the top flight for years, as he kept Yaya Toure quiet for the majority of a match in which Southampton were narrowly beaten 3-2.
Gareth Bale vs. Millwall (April 17, 2006)
With little to play for at the end of the 2005/06 Championship campaign, then Saints manager George Burley decided to give youngsters Gareth Bale and David McGoldrick their full league debuts against Millwall at St Mary’s.
And it was the former who impressed the most. Despite being just 16 years and 275 days old, the Welshman looked accustomed – especially physically – to league football in the left-back position. The rest, as they say, is history.
