Callum Slattery expressed his pride following Saints’ 2-2 draw with Derby County in the Emirates FA Cup Third Round, making a “dream coming true” with his club debut.
The midfielder featured for the full 90 minutes for Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side who raced into a two-goal lead at Pride Park courtesy of Nathan Redmond’s brace only for strikes from Jack Marriott and Tom Lawrence to set up a replay.
A disappointing result but a special day nonetheless for the 19-year-old who was one of eight Academy graduates in the Southampton matchday squad.
“It was a fantastic feeling and it’s what I’ve been waiting for,” he said. “It was a dream come true to make my debut in the FA Cup in front of our fans. The result was more important though and we didn’t get that today.
“We’re disappointed for the result given that we were 2-0 up and we had chances to put the game away, we feel like we’ve let it slip.
“We started the game well and we were pleased with how we had got into the early lead. To get the second and go 2-0 up is always nice and we felt in control; the third was needed to kill the game but we didn’t get it and got punished.
“Once you get your debut out the way, you’re always hungry to get more games in the bag. I can’t just rely on one game, I’ve got to keep working hard and work for the next games.”
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