Andrew Surman - profile of a prodigal Saints son returning to St Mary's for the first time

After starting his career at Southampton’s centre of excellence, he left six years ago in order for the funds for his transfer to keep his cash-strapped employers afloat, writes DANNY MAIORCA.

Having left as a boy, he is coming back as a man and has since been a part of two promotion-winning teams and been given to play international football at senior level.

Interestingly, they are the only of his former permanent sides he has yet to face in spite of the south coast outfit experiencing the biggest shifts out of the trio.

The midfielder was born 8,026 miles away in South Africa, but his football journey started on a late winter morning in Bitterne on 4th March 2002.

Aged just 15, a young boy named Andrew was informed by St. Mary’s College that he would be in the Saints’ reserve squad for their fixture away at Chelsea that evening.

It was during that game where he made his bow, when he came off the bench to replace Matthew Le Tissier.

That was a moment that must have been surreal to the schoolboy. Le Tiss was his favourite Saint from the day he first visited The Dell; the forward scored a hat-trick against Nottingham Forest on that day in 1995, just before Surman celebrated his ninth birthday.

Andrew Surman celebrates a goal against Stoke in 2006

He was the second-youngest debutant for the reserve side behind Wayne Talkes until Theo Walcott eclipsed his record two years later.

It would be four years before he would make his full debut for the first team when he would feature in a goalless draw at home to Crystal Palace in the Championship on a midweek night in January 2006, at the age of 19.

The teenager had spent the beginning of the 2005/06 season in the third tier with Walsall before temporarily joining the Saints’ opponents this Sunday, where he played 24 times and found the net on six occasions.

That game against the Eagles proved to be the catalyst his breakthrough: the Johannesburg-born youngster went on to play 12 more times for George Burley’s men during the second half of that campaign.

Surman also scored in his second appearance for the second-tier side, striking in a 2-1 defeat against Plymouth Argyle the following week.

He became an important cog in the centre of the park the following year, which saw the Saints reach the semi-finals of the play-offs.

Andrew Surman celebrates scoring against Derby in the 2006/07 Championship play off semi final first leg

Despite scoring a fantastic goal in the first leg against Derby County at St Mary’s, the 20-year-old was unable to prevent the Rams from progressing and ultimately winning promotion.

“Drew”, as he is known by supporters and friends alike, remained a regular in two seasons of struggle that proceeded.

But with his boyhood heroes facing liquidation in 2009, the creative midfielder was sold to then Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers in a deal worth £1.3 million.

The transfer worked for the south coast side who were kept afloat but things weren’t as rosy for Surman, who was chosen in the starting line-up only three times by manager Mick McCarthy before being sold to Championship side Norwich the following summer.

Injury couldn’t stop the former Saints man from playing a sizeable part in the Suffolk club’s second-placed finish which sealed back-to-back promotions - something the club he supported as a child would emulate the following season.

Although his impressive form during his first two years in East Anglia prompted the country where had lived the first eight years of his life to offer him the opportunity to represent them at international level, Surman declined to concentrate on club and family.

Speaking to the Bournemouth Echo earlier this year, the former England under-21 international insisted this is a decision he is “happy with” and does not “regret making.”

Surman was a regular when the newly-promoted side achieved a comfortable mid-table finish in the top division, and had proven himself as a player who could shine in glitz and glamour of the Premier League.

Having played 25 times in the Canaries’ first top-flight campaign for seven seasons, manager Paul Lambert opted for a change in formation which saw him fall out-of-favour and make just four league appearances the following year.

Andrew Surman with two of his children after Cherries had clinched promotion to the Premier League last April.

The England under-21 international returned to the south coast in July 2013, after the Cherries agreed a season-long loan deal having just been promoted from League One.

He signed permanently the following year having been a huge success at Dean Court, and played in all but five league fixtures for Eddie Howe’s side last term as they secured a historic promotion to the top flight and won the title in the season’s final minute.

That meant that the midfield man had won two promotions from the second tier with separate clubs, along with almost doing likewise with the side where he spent the majority of his youth career.

Now aged 29 with a wife and three children, the St. Mary’s youth product has matured significantly as a person and footballer since leaving and featured in all 10 of his side’s league matches so far, yet to miss a minute.

His team are struggling near the foot of the table - having conceded ten goals in their last two league games - but he will be delighted to finally have the chance to play regular football in the world’s richest league again after a couple of seasons rebuilding his career.

Although he and the club where it all started out for him have moved significantly since they parted company, today will be the first time the pair have been reunited with the South African moving up and down just ahead of Southampton’s progress.

With the stupendous success enjoyed by academy graduates such as Luke Shaw and Adam Lallana since his sale to Wolves, it can only be imagined what Surman and Saints could have achieved together had his sale not been forced. Surman made 116 league starts for Saints plus another 17 off the bench.

In all, he has made 316 league appearances - of which 38 have come as a sub. In league and cup action, he has made 345 competitive appearances and scored 18 goals.

Three of those came in one game for Saints against Barnsley in February 2007.

He completed what remains his only senior hat-trick from the penalty spot in the 90th minute, as Saints twice came from behind to beat the Tykes 5-2.