Smallbone and Stephens back in the squad
Manager Russell Martin has been handed a fitness boost ahead of Saints’ trip to Watford this week, with Will Smallbone and Jack Stephens back in contention.
Smallbone, who missed last weekend’s win over Cardiff, returned to team training this week while Stephens is set to feature in a first matchday squad since August.
Providing an update on the fitness of his squad, Martin said: “Will’s back in the squad as hoped and planned. Obviously there’s always a bit of risk involved, but he’s trained well for a couple of days and it’s nice to have him back in the squad.
“Jack Stephens is back in the squad this week which is really good news for us. I’ve been surprised by how good he’s looked, not in terms of his ability, but you expect a bit of rustiness and a bit of time to adapt and get back into it but he’s hit the ground running.
“He’s come back into training and added voice, added a huge amount of quality and he’s hungry to get back into the team and wanted to be back in the squad two weeks ago but had to be a bit patient. He’s putting big pressure on the guys in front of him who have played.”
