RALPH Hasenhuttl might just have a point.

In the aftermath of the Huddersfield win, the Austrian was quick to proclaim the future at Saints is looking bright with both Will Smallbone and Jake Vokins waiting in the wings.

Smallbone was handed his first team debut against the Championship outfit, with Vokins making his maiden start for the club after previously coming off the bench.

And the duo, who came through the academy ranks together, certainly left their mark on the St Mary’s turf.

Unsurprisingly, Smallbone looked nervous in the opening 45 minutes and missed a couple of chances that could have been tucked away.

However, for a 19-year-old, he showed great composure to start the second half with a bang to open the scoring for Saints.

Instead of lashing at the ball, he let it bounce, picked his spot, and then rifled it past Joel Coleman in the Huddersfield net.

The midfielder idolised James Ward-Prowse when he was younger, and it was only fitting that the experienced Saint was one of the first to congratulate him on his goal.

Smallbone is highly rated within the corridors of St Mary’s and will now be looking to use this momentum and get himself involved in the Premier League squad.

If one academy goal wasn't enough to make the future look bright, Vokins made sure there was another to really shout home about.

Che Adams picked the left-back out in space, allowing him to surge forward and unleash a shot that caught everyone by surprise.

It looked as though he was going to pass the ball to Michael Obafemi, but he had other ideas and lifted the ball over Coleman's head and off the underside of the bar.

The defender featured throughout pre-season, only to find Ryan Bertrand not in the mood to give up his starting spot.

Although both players looked good against Huddersfield, Hasenhuttl also wanted to point out that there is still a lot of developing for them to do.

However, once they fill out a bit and become more physical, they will certainly be knocking on the manager's door.