Damion Downs wasn’t the only fringe Southampton player who impressed in Germany

Damion Downs would be the unlikely matchwinner for Southampton during their first pre-season runout in Germany.

Eintracht Braunschweig - who ply their trade in the 2. Bundesliga - were the Saints' opponents, in front of a sprinkling of supporters who had the made long journey from the South Coast, and the loyal contingent would have left the one-off game pleased with their side's overall performance.

Indeed, Tonda Eckert's men would walk away from the first of two matches in their manager's homeland with a 1-0 win, with Downs undoubtedly pleased himself with at the full-time whistle, too, as he stroked home the decisive goal with confidence during the first 45 minutes.

Downs' impressive performance

Pre-season often gifts fringe players a fantastic platform to express themselves and silence their doubters.

For Downs, it was key that he used the off-season clashes to do just that, after a debut campaign on the South Coast passed him by with zero goals, before being chucked out on loan to Hamburg, where he remained goalless.

He isn't officially off the mark in competitive action, but scoring the only goal of the match against Lars Kornetka's men would have done his damaged confidence the world of good, all the same.

Assisted by new signing Lewis Dobbin, Downs skilfully glided past several yellow and blue shirts, after rounding the goalkeeper, before poking home, as the number 42 tries to show he belongs in Eckert's ranks, heading back into Championship action.

At the moment, with their striker difficulties well-known with Ross Stewart exiting, the hit-and-miss 22-year-old stands a good chance of featuring in some capacity on the opening day of the second tier against Watford.

He wasn't the only player who struggled last campaign in patches who stood out against The Lions...

He wasn't the only fringe player who stood out

With Eckert able to call upon the likes of Dobbin, Leo Scienza, and Finn Azaz in attack, with Southampton's World Cup hero in Cyle Larin also available up top, it's fair to say Tom Fellows has become somewhat of a forgotten figure in comparison.

The 23-year-old was a disappointment for much of last season, after joining the ranks with so much acclaim from West Bromwich Albion, having collected a staggering 14 assists from 35 second tier starts during the 2024/25 season.

He managed to amass six assists from 29 starts last season, but zero goals would come his way, as a big second season awaits the Birmingham-born attacker.

Based on his showing against Braunschweig, though, he will be heading into the fresh season wanting to be uttered in the same conversations as Dobbin, with Saints-based writer Christian Lovegrove noting on social media that the number 18 "looked bright" and was "creating chances" throughout his time on the German turf.

Daily Echo journalist Alfie House was also complimentary of Fellows in his post-match musings, as he handed him a high 7/10 rating, remarking that he "caused problems right from the start."

With Fellows potentially heading into August full of confidence, Eckert has an embarrassment of riches to choose from in the attacking areas, as not only has he got three-time England U21 international out of his shell, he also has Downs - who had been dismissed as a flop - popping up with lovely finishes.

It remains to be seen whether they can deliver these levels week in week out in the Championship, away from a summer training camp, but yet more positivity is coming out of St Mary's at the moment.

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