Southampton

"The build-up was fierce and furious, the fact it's been such a long time since the two sides have met in the league, you would hope that absence would make them fly into each other, but it didn't bubble over in the way we know it can do.

"Even though there is some frustration at the end from Saints fans, broadly it's a decent enough point, but there are many things to work on."

Jono Holmes is joined by former Saints midfielder David Prutton on Saints Social to look back at the South Coast Derby and analyse the season so far.

South Today's Lewis Coombes also joins Jono to decide their top 10 most memorable Saints matches of the century.

Listen to the full episode of Saints Social and more Southampton on Sounds.

"The one thing I don't want to do is to start pointing fingers at the manager.

"We've been in a position now where we've changed managers so many times that I don't know who managed us last year and I think we need to come back to a little bit of stability... maybe we need to suck in some of this negativity that comes."

BBC Radio Solent's Adam Blackmore and former Saints midfielder Jo Tessem discuss a frustrating derby day against Portsmouth and why fans need to keep their patience as Southampton rebuild under new boss Will Still.

Listen to the full episode of Goin' Home and more Southampton content on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Rex Features

Southampton goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu claimed his side "wasted" the first half of their game against Portsmouth.

The travelling Blues started the game well and appeared to look the stronger side after 45 minutes with Andre Dozzell striking the crossbar.

Saints were much improved in the second half and threatened in attack but were unable to find a breakthrough goal.

"We wasted away the first 45 minutes and let them control the game a bit too much," Bazunu told BBC Radio Solent.

"We should have been the ones to put our foot down and we did in the second half but the first half was wasted in my opinion.

"Defensively we were solid and we defended well but the disappointment came from not having the bravery on the ball to get our creative players in good positions."

There was only one shot on target from each side, with neither really testing either goalkeeper.

The result meant a first league clean sheet for Southampton of the season and a first for Bazunu since April 2024.

Adam Blackmore
BBC Radio Solent sports editor

Image source, Getty Images

Such has been the diverging fortunes of these two clubs for so long now, that when someone asks me what these south coast derbies are like, I have to really think hard to remember.

The League Cup tie six years ago when there was two leagues between them was a shoo-in for Saints.

Although fans would have revelled in the win, it was a million miles from how both sets of supporters will feel now the derby is back as a level-playing field, home and away, a proper match-up this season.

And going back 13 years to the last league meetings it felt like Pompey enjoyed the moral high ground despite two draws.

Saints were on their way up and Pompey were heading down the leagues following their well-publicised huge financial problems.

So from a Saints perspective, the derbies in 2011-12 were ultimately flat and frustrating, even if they atmosphere at both games was electric.

From my time working on the south coast, the Hampshire derby peaked in 2005 when Harry Redknapp took Saints back to Fratton Park just months after jumping ship from the blue to the red half of Hampshire.

I doubt very much that occasion - the atmosphere, the animosity, the noise, the high levels of security, the bubble, the hype, the Saints coach journey - will be matched very often, if at all in my lifetime again.

I will certainly never forget it.

Image source, Getty Images

Southampton defender Jack Stephens has said he has spoken to some of his team-mates about the importance of Saints' rivalry with Portsmouth before Sunday's derby (12:00 BST) - the first league meeting between the clubs for 13 years.

Stephens told BBC Radio Solent: "I've only been involved as a player in one other South Coast derby so I'm really looking forward to this one.

"I'm hoping the fans can get behind us, which I'm sure they will be, because it's a big game for the club and the city. Hopefully we can get those three points."

He continued: "I think because it's been so long, there hasn't been much to see of it so for players that aren't used to it, they're not actually aware of how big the rivalry is.

"You see some of the other rivalries that happen quite often, you get a feel for it, but with this one it hasn't happened for a long time.

"I've explained to a few of them how big it is. We haven't prepared any differently for this one, which I think is the right way to go about it."

The two sides have met just once in the past decade, with Saints winning 4-0 at Fratton Park in a League Cup tie in 2019.

Stephens revealed some of the methods that the club have used to emphasise the size of the occasion, adding: "We've got Matt Le Tissier and Francis Benali coming in to speak to us, so that'll be massive for the group, and it'll be really good to see them. They can give their experiences and what they've been through with the club.

"I think they've been in a few (derbies) themselves so it'll be good for everyone, but especially the new lads that have come in to really get a feel for it."

On the prospect of leading Saints out against Portsmouth as club captain, Stephens said: "It's another proud moment. I've always said that leading the team out is the proudest moment of my career every time I do it.

"Obviously this one is going to be extra special because it's a local derby, a derby that hasn't happened in a long time, so there's a lot of excitement for me personally.

"I'm trying to keep calm and keep everyone else calm and hopefully we get the right result."

Image source, Getty Images

Southampton boss Will Still has provided his players with a history lesson as they prepare for the south coast derby against Portsmouth.

Saints have not faced Pompey in the league for over a decade with the last meeting coming in 2012 and resulting in a 2-2 draw.

Sunday's hosts did win 4-0 at Fratton Park in 2019 with goalkeeper Alex McCarthy captain Jack Stephens the only players from that squad still at the club.

"I think with the help of the club and the people at the club, we've set up various things so that the players understand what it means," Still told BBC Radio Solent.

"We've got ex-players coming in and we've got people coming to paint the picture of what this is and what it means to everyone, but also to the newcomers in the club and in the league."

Saints have seen a large turnover in players throughout the summer, with nine new players to integrate into the squad and 13 players departing.

Following Premier League relegation they have made an inconsistent start to life back in the Championship with

"I think we're putting the right things in the right place to make sure everyone gets it, because it means more to the club, it means more to the supporters, but it's got to mean more to us as a team as well," Still added.

"We can't just accept conceding goals, we can't just accept that we draw games that's not the standard that we want to work to, we want to stop conceding these poor goals that we've conceded in the first couple of games."

Listen to the full interview and more on BBC Sounds.

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Southampton welcome Portsmouth on Sunday (12:00 BST) for the first South Coast derby in a league fixture in over a decade.

The Saints may have been a Premier League side a few months ago but it's Portsmouth who have got off to the better start in the Championship this season.

Pompey have lost just one of their opening four games (W2 D1) to see themselves in eighth place, putting them one point off the top six and five away from league leaders Middlesbrough.

While Southampton's re-entry to the second-tier hasn't gone as smoothly as they would have liked.

Similarly, they have also only lost one of their first four league encounters but have equally only won one to see them trailing their neighbouring rivals by two points.

• This is the first league meeting between Southampton and Portsmouth since a pair of draws between the two in 2011-12 in the Championship.

• Portsmouth's only league win away to Southampton in their last eight trips came in January 1988 in the top-flight (2-0), with Pompey losing on four of the other seven occasions (D3).

• Southampton have lost two of their last three home league games in the Championship (W1), as many as in their prior 18 matches (W14 D2).

• Portsmouth have lost only one of their last nine league games (W4 D4), while they've picked up as many points on the road in their previous four matches (8 – W2 D2) as in their prior 19 matches (8 – W2 D2 L15).

• Portsmouth have attempted the most shots from fast breaks in the Championship this season (6), while only Sheffield United (8) have faced more shots from fast breaks so far this season than Southampton (7).

Ray Hunt
Fan writer

Image source, PA Media

The most anticipated fixture of the season is looming. Two sides, separated by 19 miles along the M27, with fans who obsess over their local team. It's the Battle of the South Coast. I'm talking, of course, about Southampton v Portsmouth. It's a source of excitement, nerves and anxiety, which usually results in chaos.

It's a unique derby in the sense that it rarely happens. This is the first league meeting between the clubs since April 2012 - and will be the 72nd between them - with both sides seemingly missing each other on the way to success and contrasting financial downfalls.

In this case, Saints are coming off their worst season in history, and Portsmouth are on the rise having survived their first season back in the Championship in 12 years, with two games to spare.

This feels, for the first time in a long time, like they are relative equals. Which only adds more fuel to the fire.

In fact, Portsmouth have started brighter. Two points better off and five places higher. They've enjoyed a successful summer transfer window, and are just beginning to see the fruits of that, picking up four points in their past two games and remaining undefeated on their travels so far.

Saints are trying to readjust after their disastrous 2024-25 Premier League season, with a new manager in Will Still and a whole host of new additions to integrate, with the hope they can fill the void left by the outgoing Mateus Fernandes and Tyler Dibling. Do the new recruits truly understand what this fixture means for the locals?

This is a game that sets the nerves jangling from the start of the week. Come matchday, we'll all be in knots. The history, the passion, the hatred. Who wants it more? Who will get bragging rights in the office on Monday morning? One thing is certain, you can throw all form out the window and treat this like a cup final.

I'm still confident Southampton come out on top. What a way for Still and the new signings to start their careers on the south coast; a win against the old enemy would etch themselves into the annals of history.

You can hear more from Ray on the In That Number podcast., external

"It's really a one-off game. I think form goes out the window and, however Will sets the team up, it'll be the responsibility of the fans to create the atmosphere that'll help the players on the pitch."

BBC Radio Solent's Jono Holmes and Rob Sills are joined by former Saints striker James Beattie to preview the upcoming South Coast derby against Portsmouth on Sunday (12:00 BST) - and why Beattie has it marked as the fiercest derby across his English footballing career.

Listen to the full episode of the Saints Social and more on BBC Sounds.

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Image source, Getty Images

Former Southampton full-back Jason Dodd has called on Saints fans to bring an "intense atmosphere" to St Mary's for this weekend's south coast derby.

The two clubs meet in a league clash for the first time since the 2011-12 Championship season when both games ended in score draws.

Southampton did beat their bitter rivals 4-0 in the League Cup in 2019 which was the last time the two sides faced off.

"Fans start talking about the derby as far as two weeks before the game," Dodd, who made 477 appearances for Saints, told BBC Radio Solent.

"It is just an amazing feeling playing in one, I've been very lucky because I only ever lost one game against Pompey.

"I'm hoping we bring an intense atmosphere to St Mary's. If we can get a similar atmosphere to what it was like against West Brom for the play-off game then it can make a massive difference and would massively benefit the players.

"This is the sort of game that can get our season going and kick-start some momentum, it can be a stepping stone for us to push on and go forward."

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This update has been created and reviewed by our journalists, using AI to help summarise the most up-to-date Southampton news. It's read aloud by an AI voice.

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