Dom Ballard joined Saints as an eight-year old and made his debut nine years later when he came on in the second half of a League Cup-tie at the Abbey Stadium and delighted the travelling fans with Saints’ third goal. A diminutive striker, he had forged a goalscoring reputation not only in Southampton Youth teams, but also when he was capped by England at U18, U19 and U20 levels.

He subsequently went on loan to Reading and was making steady progress before a serious tendon injury brought his season to an abrupt halt. Another loan, this time at Steve Bruce’s Blackpool, was a further step in his development, but again he sustained a shoulder injury that meant a premature return to St Mary’s. Later on, in the 2024-25 season, he made a third loan move to Cambridge of all places, but only managed to score a couple of goals in 17 outings. Returning to St Mary’s he still had a year left on his contract, but he declined an improved offer, preferring to make a permanent move to League One with Leyton Orient. He made an explosive start at Brisbane Rd, scoring six goals in his first six games and his all-round performances throughout 2025-26 persuaded Bristol City to spend £5m on him in the ensuing summer with Saints picking up an additional £925,000 through a sell-on clause.