His emotional hat-trick stood out last season, with the youngster memorably wrestling for the ball with the established penalty taker Rasiak to strike his third.
His progress has been steady compared to the eye-catching breakthroughs of Walcott and Bale and the positively snail-like progress of the other big homegrown departure Chris Baird.
That steady progress after breaking through early into the reserves has kept him out of the limelight and mercifully away from the transfer rumours.
Surman is blessed with great feet and versatility that saw him play on both flanks and occasionally in the middle. He has slowly grown in strength and presence, with just a slight lack of pace stopping him from being the complete article.
This pre-season has seen him play in central midfield to limited effect as Burley searches for a genuine playmaker in the engine room. Burley is still on the lookout for a central midfielder, suggesting that Drew will be again supplying quality from the flanks.
He will certainly be looking for more goals having shown his potential with his hat-trick and a memorably early strike in the first leg of the play-offs. He now has 7 goals in 41 starts and 13 subsitute appearances and Burley is looking for him to push on after his breakthrough season.
After so much turnover of players it means so much to have a local player in the ranks the fans can identify with and we hope to be enjoying his performances in a Saints shirt for many more years to come.