MATT Mills returns to where it all began this weekend and admits that he is “gutted” Saints’ youth revolution came too late for him.

The ex-Saints defender will be part of the Doncaster Rovers side who travel to St Mary’s for a crucial relegation six-pointer on Saturday.

The 22-year-old centre-back came through the ranks at Saints, where his younger brother Joseph, 19, is now on the fringes of the first team.

But after loan spells at Coventry City and Bournemouth, Mills senior joined Manchester City in January 2006, having made only a handful of Saints first-team appearances.

Back in his Saints days a number of more experienced players were blocking his and many of the club’s other promising youngsters’ route to regular first team football.

Fast-forward a few years and circumstances have dictated that Saints’ younger players now make up most of the first-team squad.

And Mills said: “To be honest I am a little bit gutted that we were not thrown in when I was there.

“Back then we had the likes of me, Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott, Dexter Blackstock, Leon Best and Drew Surman and some of the other players that are still there."

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