Sam Gallagher made his long awaited return from injury as Saints under-21s were beaten 5-3 by Chelsea.

Martin Hunter’s side, watched from the stands at Stamford Bridge by former Saints stars and youth coaches Jason Dodd and Paul Williams, went 5-0 down in a disastrous first half but pulled one back just before the break through Ryan Seager, who was set up by Gallagher as he played the first half on his comeback.

Jake Hesketh and Bevi Mugabe grabbed another two for Saints but they couldn’t complete a remarkable turnaround.