Angus Gunn was happy for Charlie Austin to hog the headlines – even if his late winner denied the debutant the chance to be Saints’ penalty hero at Brighton.
The goalkeeper admitted his mind was beginning to wander towards a shoot-out before substitute Austin headed the only goal at the Amex Stadium two minutes from time.
Gunn has had to wait his turn since joining Saints in the summer, but kept a clean sheet on his first appearance for the club, securing a place in the Carabao Cup third round in the process.
“It was going towards penalties at the end so I was thinking about that,” he said.
“It was an ideal game for my first competitive match for Southampton, and I’m just thankful that Chaz popped up at the end with the header and we’re into the next round.
“There were still five or six minutes left (including stoppage time) and we were the team putting the pressure on, so I saw it coming, but you always think about penalties when it gets towards the 90-minute mark.
“Thankfully we got the goal and we can go home a bit earlier!”
One of ten changes to the side, Gunn lined up behind a Saints back four that had never previously played together.
“I think we all felt pretty comfortable,” he added. “They (Brighton) made a few changes as well, which probably made for a slightly different game, but it was a good test for everyone.
“A lot of players hadn’t played 90 minutes, but we got that in today and I think that’s a positive for all of us.
“I had to make a couple of saves, but I think the guys protected me pretty well.”
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