SAINTS ace Will Smallbone admitted he will cherish his first Premier League goal after enduring "everything that's been thrown" at him.

The 25 year old Saints fan and academy graduate netted the opening goal in the club's eventual 3-1 loss at Liverpool's Anfield earlier this month.

Smallbone has made just 28 Premier League career appearances, having been ruled out of most of this season with an injury sustained in August.

The midfielder was also missed in Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Wolves, having pulled out of Ireland's international duty this month with a groin concern.

But after battling an ACL injury at the age of 20, a confidence-wrecking Alopecia diagnosis and cruel social media abuse, Southampton's homegrown promotion-winning hero is finally off the mark in the top flight. 

He said: “It meant a lot to me, it’s been a long time coming. I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs, from my Premier League debut to my first goal.

Southampton's Will Smallbone celebrates his first Premier League goal at Anfield earlier this monthSouthampton's Will Smallbone celebrates his first Premier League goal at Anfield earlier this month (Image: PA)

"I was really happy for myself personally after everything I’ve been through and everything that’s been thrown at me.

“To finally get my first Premier League goal, I was very happy, and to do it at a stadium like Anfield, I’ll always look back with unbelievable memories.

“It’s been tough for the squad and the team, and we wanted to prove - to ourselves as much as anyone - that we could go toe to toe with Liverpool.

"I think for that first 45 minutes, we were very much in the game. We were a lot more compact, and I felt we were tough to break down."

Smallbone continued: "Obviously, when you’re playing away to the top of the Premier League, you’re going to need a bit of luck at times.

"I think we probably had that in the first half, or maybe we made our own luck with strong defending. They had chances, but not clear-cut ones.

"We executed our plan brilliantly in the first half, and nicking a goal just before half-time was amazing. We knew the second half would be tough.

"They made three changes, and with them kicking towards the Kop, it was always going to be difficult. We expected a quick start from them.

“Their manager (Arne Slot) clearly wasn’t happy with what he saw, and I think the players got a talking-to at half-time. They came out fired up.

"Once they scored, they built on that momentum. Maybe we could have done more to stop it, but honestly, I’m not sure what we could have done.”