Southampton must wince as stunning Birmingham City footage emerges | OneFootball

Dom Ballard's weekend exploits could give those at St Mary's something to ponder

Southampton's academy has been known for producing some of English football's most high-profile players in recent times, but one man who may have slipped the net is current Bristol City forward, Dom Ballard.

Both Saints and the Robins have entered the 2026/27 Championship season in an intriguing set of circumstances, although the two clubs certainly harbour ambitions of reaching the Premier League in the not-too-distant future.

The 2025/26 campaign ended in disappointment for both, but especially Southampton after their chance of returning to the top-flight at the first time of asking was taken away by the EFL as a result of the Spygate scandal.

Southampton and Bristol City have also had mixed starts to the new season in terms of results, whilst it remains to be seen if Tonda Eckert will be afforded the opportunity to continue overseeing matters at St Mary's for much longer, when at the same time, Michael Skubala is still overseeing the beginning of his tenure at Ashton Gate.

However, Ballard's recent trajectory, especially in League One with Leyton Orient prior to his BS3 switch, led to many questions as to whether Saints shouldn't have sanctioned a permanent exit last summer, and such a debate is already back on the cards.

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The young forward had been in the academy at Staplewood from the age of eight, but unlike other highly-rated talents to have come through the same conveyor belt, Ballard was never really afforded the opportunities to grow into the first-team picture.

That is, despite the fact that for Southampton's academy, especially in the Under-18 and Under-21 groups, he was the scorer of 60 goals and the provider of 13 assists in just 73 appearances.

Regardless, the striker, who said that, regardless of his attributes, he would "stick" to goalscoring, was clearly still monitored by former Saints boss, Ruben Selles, who saw him score three times in just 10 appearances in an injury-hit spell at Reading, before further mixed spells at Blackpool, Cambridge United and Orient.

Leyton Orient spell was the making of Dom Ballard

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During this period, Saints were relegated twice and promoted once, and it meant that the natural course of action was for Ballard to be moved on through a permanent transfer, and a move to Orient turned out to be the making of the clinical centre-forward, albeit at League One level.

Orient boss, Richie Wellens, stated at the time of his arrival on a three-year contract that "We’ve had eyes on him for a couple of seasons now," and it turns out the 46-year-old had clearly done his research into the England youth international, who was instrumental in the club retaining its League One status last season after a disappointing follow-up to a term in which they made the play-off final.

In April, it was claimed that Ballard was valued by the O's at a figure which eclipsed Jay Stansfield's eye-catching move to Birmingham City, but that didn't turn out to be the case despite a 23-goal season, instead eventually moving to the West Country in a deal reportedly worth just £5m.

Dom Ballard has gone viral with sensational Bristol City goal at Birmingham City

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As previously mentioned, it has been a mixed start for Skubala with Bristol City, who are still yet to win under the former Lincoln City boss, but can be slightly forgiven for this also, given the ample changes made to his squad.

Ballard, of course, has been a high-profile arrival given his fee, and has now gone viral as a result of his remarkable back-heeled strike in the 2-2 draw against Birmingham at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park on Saturday, turning Rio Cardines' cross past James Beadle.

"I believe I am capable of scoring from anywhere. The keeper least expects you to score from there, so that always catches you off guard. The goal doesn't move," he said when asked about the goal post-match.

"It's a lovely goal. To do it in front of the away fans, at St Andrew's, in a big game, it's definitely a moment I'll cherish. It was a really nice way to get off the mark."

Dom Ballard is hoping to prove Southampton and his doubters wrong

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Although there were have been questions put the way of Southampton as to why Ballard's exit was sanctioned, with the forward still only 21 years of age, some at St Mary's are likely to have backed the club's decision and point out the fact the forward only has one strong goalscoring season on his CV, which came in League One.

However, whilst it is early days and there is still some pressure on his own shoulders to deliver as a result of the fee, Ballard has already revealed his desire to prove the sceptics wrong.

"Everyone talks about a big step into the Championship, and I agree with them. There's a vast step in terms of ability and tactics," he claimed.

"Ultimately my job is to score goals. I did that a lot last year, so I got my move. Now I believe I can do it at this level as well."

In terms of having a point to prove against his former club, Ballard only has to wait a matter of days too, as City travel to St Mary's on Saturday, September 12th.