SOUTHAMPTON’S men’s and women’s squads returned to the St Mary’s turf on Thursday afternoon for an open training session.
Around five thousand fans were in attendance for the event with proceeds from tickets sold going to the Saints Foundation.
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Russell Martin and Remi Allen’s sides trained on the pitch at the same time as they were cheered on by supporters.
Ross Stewart was the most notable omission from men’s training. He played no part at St Mary’s having also missed Southampton’s trip to Spain last week. Adam Lallana also missed out.
Men’s training is about to get under way. Sekou Mara is out there, no sign of Kamaldeen Sulemana.
Armel Bella-Kotchap also on the grass after missing Spain trip. Can’t see Ross Stewart.#SaintsFC pic.twitter.com/POglys1c88
— George Rees-Julian (@rees_julian) August 1, 2024
The men’s session revolved around recovery work following their 2-0 pre-season defeat at Oxford United the day before.
Sekou Mara went off with a knock during that friendly at the Kassam Stadium but was fit enough to return to training the next day.
There was no sign of Kamaldeen Sulemana, however. The Ghana international was also withdrawn on Wednesday and later seen leaving the stadium in a boot.
Club captain Jack Stephens was in attendance but didn’t get involved with training. He spent time talking with Martin as his teammates warmed up, before later addressing supporters.
Following the end of men’s training, Adam Armstrong said: “It was a lovely day for it. Today was a recovery session so the lads didn’t do too much.”
Summer signing Nathan Wood added: “This is a great environment to work in on a daily basis. The players and staff have been great since I came in.”
Meanwhile, on the other side of the pitch, the women’s squad endured a more intense session.
New head coach Allen and her staff looked to increase the levels as Saints Women stepped up preparations for the new Women’s Championship season.
They worked on passing drills before later playing a small-sided game built around playing out from the back.
