Jason Puncheon says he hopes that his prominent role in Saints' pre-season fixtures means there is a bright future for him at St Mary's.
The winger has previously struggled for regular football under Nigel Adkins, spending time on loan at Millwall, Blackpool and QPR during the past two seasons.
However, he worked his way back into contention for Saints during the latter half of the 2011-12 campaign, and has been used heavily in recent friendly matches.
Puncheon struck his side's second goal in today's 2-0 friendly win over Wolves, and he says that he hopes he is now in a position to thrive in the Barclays Premier League.
"I've always believed in my ability," he told Saints Player after the game.
"There were different things that happened which are neither here nor there now, but now it's about the future.
"I just want to get my head down, and the best I can do is to give 110% and see where that takes me.
"Importantly for myself, this is the first time in two years that I've continued through pre-season and not missed any time.
"It was always important for me to do that, and that's exactly what I've been doing.
"I'm pleased with my goal and the way I took it," he said of his second-half strike against a resilient Wolves side.
"Most importantly, I'm pleased that I got some more minutes and the team won the game.
"This was a good workout for all of us. Wolves were coming down from the Premier League last season, so they were a good test."
Puncheon gained experience of top-flight football with Blackpool and QPR, and says that he has seen enough to know that Saints can make a success of life among the elite of the English game.
"I think that (Premier League experience) is a help – although it was only ten games or so that I played," he said.
"But I think we have great-quality players in our dressing room who should have been in the Premier League before.
"We're here now, so it's down to us in the dressing room.
"We're going to need to hit the ground running, and I think it's important that we realise we will need 25 of us – not just 11.
"There will be a 25-man squad, and people have got to step up to the plate – we've got good, young players as well as a few experienced ones.
"There's anticipation, but I think all of the boys are looking forward to playing in the greatest league in the world.
"What a start we've got in Manchester City, so bring on the first game of the season."
To watch Jason Puncheon's post-match interview with Saints Player, click here.
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