IN some ways it was a completely unfamiliar scene. In other ways, it was deja-vu-ingly familiar.

The ‘it’ in question was the sight of the Saints B team lifting the trophy in celebration of their Premier League 2 Division Two title success.

In a season of constant dark clouds surrounding the first team and the immediate future of the club, the B team joy stuck out against that juxtaposed background. But truthfully, there’s no shock or surprise at the sight of more celebrations from this group. 

After all, this is now their second year of soaking champagne - or sparkling apple juice - parties following on from the under-18’s National League South title last season, of which much of the nucleus led this triumph.

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Some Saints supporters are understandably lacking in faith at the moment. Their team is headed down to the Championship for the first time in more than a decade while the opening 18 months of Sport Republic’s reign has left major unanswered questions.

Additionally, there’s no certainty around the futures of pretty much any and all of Ruben Selles’s squad - nor the manager himself - with academy graduate and captain James Ward-Prowse potentially part of a large-scale exodus this summer.

At a time when faith - and to an extent hope - is naturally lacking, the B team and the core of Southampton lads at the heart of it provides real reason for optimism and excitement.

Part of that excitement must be due to the immense talent on show in this group. Dom Ballard has stolen much of the headlines with his prolific goal scoring - including one on his professional debut earlier this season at Cambridge - but he’s not the only one who has displayed the kind of talent that should lead to opportunities in the first team.

Kami Doyle, who lifted the trophy alongside Ballard, often glides across the pitch in a manner that can only leave Saints fans who have been forced into months of turgid attacking performances virtually salivating. 

Meanwhile, Nico Lawrence was a crucial member at the heart of the B team’s defence before embarking on the loan spell that earned him Torquay United’s Young Player of the Year - despite only joining in January.

But potentially more than talent, it’s the attitude and intersecting Saints dreams of this group that should have fans excited.

When Doyle briefly left his side’s celebrations to speak with the Daily Echo on the side of the pitch at AFC Totton’s Snows Stadium, he did so with a slight tinge of smoke in the air from the celebratory pyrotechnics and with blood on the collar of his Saints shirt.

Daily Echo: Dom Ballard and Kami Doyle take a picture with a young Saints fan.Dom Ballard and Kami Doyle take a picture with a young Saints fan. (Image: Benjy Nurick)

“We’re all winners really. We all want to win so much and that’s shown with winning back to back titles,” Doyle said of the effort that blood-strain represented. 

“Most of these boys I’ve known since I was seven so we’ve been friends forever, I’ve known them for so long and we’ll do anything for each other. And that’s shown on the pitch, it’s shown in the performances.

“I’ve known these boys for so long, I love them all and it’s really just a special moment to share the pitch with them and win with them. It’s something you dream of, winning with your best friends.”

Every ounce of that blood and love was required to get over the line in a supremely challenging season for the Saints B team. 

Not only were they forced to cope with the devastating loss of Diamond Edwards to a serious knee injury but Jimmy Jay Morgan then departed for Chelsea before head coach Dave Horseman was given a well-deserved opportunity to aid Ruben Selles and the first team.

One win in five towards the end of February - including a home defeat to title-rivals Leeds - left Saints expecting to be forced into the lottery of the play-offs but four consecutive victories to end the campaign gave them a chance ahead of the final day.

And with only Leeds in action, the Saints squad gathered at Staplewood to watch the drama unfold. By full-time they were the ones celebrating as West Brom’s 2-1 win against Leeds handed Saints the title and promotion to Division 1.

And perhaps all this success - and all the hope that the success fuels - has come at the perfect and needed moment. 

With a squad of 30 players this season, opportunities for those in the academy have been severely limited, particularly since January.

But with Saints going down to the Championship and a significant portion of that squad set to at least consider their futures, opportunities could be opening up for this supremely talented cohort. And if opportunities don’t open up naturally, the club must find a way.

There have already been concerns around the chances for academy graduates with the influx of young stars from other Premier League academies. And whether or not that played a role in Morgan’s departure, the recent track record of academy involvement in the first team has been unimpressive.

Ward-Prowse continues to be the flag-bearer for academy progress but outside of the Saints skipper, this squad is devoid of homegrown talent. Will Smallbone could be in line for a larger role next season but the movement should not stop there.

Saints have a real opportunity on their hands to rebuild from the ground up and with fans searching for a connection to the team that has felt potentially weakened in recent years, the Saints academy and the pride of those wearing the shirt from a young age can be a source of both genuine game-changing ability and reconnection.

Windows in football are hard to find and hard to curate. Saints must make sure that a window opens for the cream of this incredibly impressive crop.