SAINTS striker Dom Ballard has held conversations with England's coaches as he looks to secure a place in the under-19 setup ahead of next summer’s Euro tournament.

Under-19s coach Ryan Garry, forced to retire from his career at 27 years old after failing to recover from persistent nerve damage in his leg, will take a team to Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland were initially set to host the Under-19 European Championships in 2020 before it was cancelled due to disruption caused by COVID.

England’s Young Lions won the 2022 tournament, beating Israel 3-1 in the final, but they failed to qualify for this year’s competition.

Ballard, who was named on the bench by Saints manager Russell Martin at Plymouth Argyle, has scored three goals in three appearances for the under-18 England group.

Speaking to the Daily Echo, Ballard said: “We’ve got Northern Ireland for the Euros and I’ve spoken to the England boss and it’s definitely something I want to push towards.

“Playing for your country is an honour but I’m taking everything as it comes. Scoring goals and the biggest thing is playing first team – that’s how you get noticed.

“If I can keep getting on the bench, maybe getting some minutes and scoring some goals, that’s how I’ll get noticed.”

Ballard has scored six goals in just two appearances in Premier League 2 this campaign but has been left out of the England setup for around a year.

That, despite being nominated for Premier League 2’s player of the year award as he fired Saints to the Division Two title.

Ballard could be in Martin’s squad again as they welcome QPR to St Mary’s in matchday four of the Championship season.