The South Coast derby is a match contested between Portsmouth and Southampton and has been ever since 1899.
Unsurprisingly like most other UK derbies, the rivalry was formed on the basis of how close Portsmouth and Southampton are to each other.
Yet despite that, the two sides have met just 70 times over the years due to the clubs usually being in different leagues.
Whilst Pompey and the Saints have both found themselves in the depths of despair, a game between the two is something fans are still desperate to witness, having now gone seven years without it.
How was the rivalry formed?
It’s reported that until the 1970’s, there wasn’t much of a rivalry at all between Portsmouth and Southampton. Opposing fans would often go and watch the other team whilst there’s were playing away due to the close proximity, which certainly suggests there wasn’t a fierce rivalry between the two clubs at this point anyway.
Though during the 70’s, football hooliganism reached its peak and was the most likely cause of the bitter rivalry that exists today.
Also during that era, specifically 1976, Portsmouth International Port opened which was seen as a direct rival to the Port of Southampton by its dockers.
Although unrelated to football, as proven with derbies across the world, anything can spark a dislike between two sides strong enough to ensure it’s considered a derby.
Another reason for the hatred between the two clubs is down to manager Harry Redknapp. The English coach was appointed as Southampton manager in December 2004, just days after he had resigned from Portsmouth.
The month after his arrival, the two sides met and Southampton won 2-1 in the FA Cup in a game that former Portsmouth striker Peter Crouch scored the winner.
Yet just a year later after Southampton’s relegation from the Premiership, Harry Redknapp returned to Fratton Park.
He managed to steer them away from relegation and the following season led Portsmouth to a ninth place finish, the clubs highest since the 1950’s.
In 2008, Harry Redknapp won the FA Cup with Portsmouth and remains the last English manager to win a major English trophy.
Meanwhile that season, Southampton were relegated into League One.
Head to head
As eluded to earlier, the mere fact that these sides have met 70 times officially tells the tale of how both have been up and down the football league.
Highs and lows are a regular occurrence for both these two sides but it’s often The Saints that claim the bragging rights when the two meet.
Southampton have won 34 of the 70 matches between the two sides, whilst Portsmouth have managed 21 victories against the Saints.
The last time the two sides met was in 2012 and that was a 2-2 draw.
Both sides have been through troubling times in recent years and after Portsmouth’s magnificent FA Cup win, they were relegated into the Championship in 2011.
After, the two sides met in the Championship that season, on which both occasions resulted in a draw. Though in spite of those results, Southampton gained promotion to the Premier League that season, whilst Portsmouth went into administration and were relegated to League One.
Where does it rank in our top ten?
As ranked by out twitter followers, the South Coast derby sits last in tenth place. Since the fixture hasn’t been played since 2012, the rivalry has been a distant concern for fans with the focus more on their individual teams.
Southampton since that last game have been thriving in the Premier League, albeit not so much in the last two seasons.
Meanwhile, Portsmouth are battling their way back up the football league as they aspire to reach the Championship next season.
What are your thoughts on the South Coast derby? Let us know!
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