Southampton vs Portsmouth: South coast derby returns after six years, dwell on Sky Sports activities

The rivalry between Southampton and Portsmouth is one which runs deep.

It isn’t nearly soccer – this transcends soccer.

These are cities on the south coast with essential ports, the place the depth of the rivalry is claimed to have intensified through the Nineteen Seventies. That went to a different stage when, only a fortnight after leaving his function as Pompey boss in November 2004, Harry Redknapp went down the street to Saints.

Solely Alan Ball had managed each golf equipment earlier than that; nobody has accomplished since.

In 2015, when Emirates struck a sponsorship cope with Portsmouth landmark the Spinnaker Tower and introduced plans to color the towering landmark purple and white – the colors of Southampton – greater than 10,000 folks signed a petition in opposition.

The voice of the native public was heard. Purple and white was swiftly ditched for blue and gold, with paint donated to native charities.

Even so, for the reason that flip of the millennium, there have been simply 10 South Coast derbies.

On Sunday afternoon, that can grow to be 11, when Saints host Pompey at St Mary’s, dwell on Sky Sports activities Soccer.

This has been a very long time coming.

The story of the tape

Sunday’s sport is the fortieth senior South Coast derby between Southampton and Portsmouth in all competitions (thirty third within the league).

Will probably be 4,908 days for the reason that final South Coast derby within the league (13 years and 160 days) and solely the seventh league assembly between the groups within the final 37 years since 1988.

Southampton are unbeaten in all three league conferences at St Mary’s (W2 D1).

Portsmouth’s final league win at Southampton was a 2-0 Division One victory at The Dell in January 1988.

Southampton have misplaced 13 of the final 16 league video games at St Mary’s (W1 D2) and misplaced 17 of the final 22 league video games (W2 D3).

Portsmouth have misplaced one of many final 9 Championship video games (W4 D4) – that they had misplaced 4 of the 5 earlier than that (W1).

Alex McCarthy is the one present participant to play in a South Coast derby.

How did the final assembly go?

Whereas it has been 13 years for the reason that final league assembly, it has been simply shy of six years for the reason that final south coast derby, which came about within the third spherical of the Carabao Cup in September 2019.

That night time has been described as the most important soccer police operation in Hampshire.

Portsmouth have been in League One, Southampton have been within the Premier League – and there was to be no shock. Danny Ings scored two, and Cedric Soares and Nathan Redmond have been additionally on course as Saints recorded their first win at Fratton Park since 1984.

“This is more than only reaching the next round. This is about reaching the hearts of the fans,” mentioned Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl.

“I have never had such an atmosphere in a stadium so far. If you see such a game here then you know why football is so popular in England.”

Contrasting fortunes restrict derby conferences

Between January 7 1996 and December 2 2003, this fixture didn’t happen as soon as. But when each golf equipment have been within the Premier League throughout 2003/04 and 2004/05, they performed each other 5 occasions; 4 within the league, one within the FA Cup. Southampton received 4, Portsmouth received one.

Pompey stayed within the prime flight till 2010, by which level Saints had slipped all the way in which to League One.

In 2011/12, they have been each again within the Championship. Within the first assembly at Fratton Park, Joel Ward’s 84th-minute header secured Pompey some extent, earlier than David Norris scored a 94th-minute equaliser within the return at St Mary’s.

However that yr, Saints have been promoted to the Premier League, the place they might keep for the subsequent 11 years. Pompey dropped to League Two in 2013 and it took 4 makes an attempt to get out, earlier than seven makes an attempt to exit League One.

As John Mousinho guided Pompey to sixteenth final time period – their highest end since 2010/11 – Saints have been having a nightmare marketing campaign within the Premier League.

Underneath two everlasting managers and two caretaker spells for Simon Rusk, they turned the primary crew to be relegated with as many as seven video games to play. By the top, they have been 26 factors from security, with the second-lowest factors whole within the competitors’s historical past.

How have they fared this season?

The appointment of Will Nonetheless as supervisor and the arrival of 9 first-team signings generated pleasure for Southampton’s return to the Championship. They have been among the many favourites for promotion earlier than a ball had even been kicked.

Late targets from Ryan Manning and Jack Stephens earned a 2-1 win over Wrexham on the opening day, however Nonetheless’s aspect have taken simply two factors from the three video games, towards Ipswich, Stoke and Watford since. They sit thirteenth, with a aim distinction of zero.

Within the Carabao Cup, in the meantime, they’ve seen off Northampton and Norwich, with out conceding a single aim, which secured a visit to Anfield to face Liverpool within the third spherical on September 23.

Portsmouth exited the Carabao Cup within the first spherical, with defeat to Studying, however issues are wanting much more constructive within the Championship.

They’ve overwhelmed each Oxford and Preston by a 1-0 scoreline, held second-placed West Brom to a 1-1 draw and may need drawn towards Norwich had Colby Bishop not missed a late penalty.

It took Pompey 10 video games to surpass seven factors final time period, so to have accomplished the identical in six video games fewer is greater than encouraging.

Mousinho: I as soon as thought Saints vs Pompey was ‘simply’ a rivalry – now I do know it is a lot extra

Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho in an unique interview with Sky Sports activities:

“It’s the fixture everyone’s been talking about ever since I joined the football club and it has felt like a long way away for a significant period of time, with the fact we’ve been at a certain level and there has been that separation in terms of league positions.

“The anticipation has undoubtedly been constructing with the membership, with the followers and everyone related to it. We realised fairly early on final season that, if we stayed within the Championship, it was going to be a fixture. That heightened in the summertime when the fixture record got here out.

“With the international break, the anticipation has built and built and built over the last two weeks and everybody is massively looking forward to the game.

“My assumption from the surface wanting in earlier than I got here right here would have been that it is only a geographical rivalry – by the point you truly get entangled with the soccer membership, you realise it means a complete lot extra to the supporters and there is much more historical past to it, which may be very fascinating and one thing we want to pay attention to due to the actual fact it does make it distinctive.

“One thing we don’t want to do is get too carried away with the magnitude of the game and build it up to be something it’s not, certainly in terms of the league and how many points it’s worth because it’s just worth three points to both sides.

“However on the similar time, it will be naïve of us to not acknowledge the importance of the sport and the way enormous it’s to everyone related with town. We are able to undoubtedly play on that.

“There’s nothing I need to say to the Portsmouth fans other than the fact we are very grateful for the backing. It’s going to be a raucous atmosphere, it’s definitely going to be intense and one to savour.”

‘This can be a rivalry laced with venom’

David Prutton on the Sky Sports activities EFL podcast:

“This is one of the biggest fixtures we get the chance to cover in the EFL. If you have even a passing awareness of it, you know it is always a feisty affair. The two clubs absolutely hate each other, and that makes for a derby that is fiercely fought and often very hard and attritional.

“The way both teams have started the season makes it feel really well balanced. Will Still has so many fantastic players at his disposal, and John Mousinho has always built Portsmouth on a strong team ethic. Both managers and both squads deserve a lot of respect.

“Although it’s early within the season, it already feels finely poised. In a while it’d find yourself being seen as a title decider or perhaps a relegation six-pointer, however proper now it’s completely balanced for this stage of the marketing campaign.

“Will gets his first taste of this rivalry. John knows what it means and what the fixture can throw up. It is set so nicely, even if I have just said that the clubs despise each other.

“From my own playing days, I remember when we beat Portsmouth at St Mary’s, which was a great feeling. I also remember being completely outplayed and beaten heavily at Fratton Park, which was not enjoyable. Those are my strongest memories of playing in this derby.

“It’s undoubtedly one of many fiercest video games I ever performed in. I believe folks underestimate how a lot the golf equipment dislike one another, as a result of we have now not seen it usually in fashionable occasions. The ambiance is superb and extremely intense.

“I say this not simply as somebody who as soon as performed for Southampton. Everybody talks concerning the greatest rivalries in England, and everyone knows what the well-known ones are, however Southampton towards Portsmouth is exclusive. Its location and historic significance make it stand out. Once you issue within the political and socioeconomic the explanation why the 2 cities conflict, it turns into much more fascinating.

“It is a rivalry laced with venom, one of the most fiery you could hope for, and I think this match has all the ingredients to be a real spectacle.”

Get extra EFL straight to your cellphone on WhatsApp!

Are you an EFL fan?

📱 Sky Sports activities EFL is now out there to comply with on WhatsApp channels.

Get messages and alerts for the most recent breaking information, evaluation, in-depth options, dwell streams and highlights from our devoted EFL channel.