JAN Poortvliet is planning to hand five players their first ever Saints league start in tomorrow's curtain-raiser at Cardiff.
Remarkably, that will be the first time since 1946 that any Saints manager has given so many players their first start at once.
Poortvliet is expected to start with Simon Gillett, Morgan Schneiderlin, Lloyd James, Jake Thomson and Lee Holmes at Ninian Park.
But he has no doubts that they are ready to shine.
He said: "When you make a choice you make a choice and the coach has to be the number one person who believes in it.
"I don't know who will be the subs for this team but I think they need each other, they have played with each other and every game they play well.
"They have to go on and you have to believe in them. It's up to them because at some time you have to start.
"Normally you start with two or three youngsters but we start with a lot because the situation is like that.
"We have the quality and it's up to us and them to show it in the real games."
Full story in today's Daily Echo
