My pilgrimage to Portsmouth and the best derby in English football
Daniel Storey
10–13 minutes
Bitter feuds, bubble matches, fights and a comparative lack of success - Daniel Storey delves into what makes Pompey's famous rivalry with Southampton so great
I am lucky enough to have been to most of the major English football derbies, but I had never done Portsmouth vs Southampton. I had been told, fairly forcefully, that I needed to change that and that I would not regret it.
And those people were right, obviously. With a double dose of recency bias, it might just be my new favourite fixture in English football. Through the prism of Sunday’s magnificently fraught 1-1 draw, I would like to explain why…
1. The hatred
I know you think that you hate your rivals, and that is clearly true, but I have never seen anything quite like this. There is something deeply visceral about the way in which Portsmouth and Southampton supporters treat each other. It goes beyond the pantomime of some other derbies.
Portsmouth is England’s only island city, and as such it has a definite vibe that is hard to put your finger on but is probably best described as: everyone you meet is friendly but you would absolutely believe that they could knock you out in five seconds.
Southampton give as good as they get, mind. There is a regular chant at this game: “Go get your father’s gun, and shoot the Pompey scum.” Which… yeah, probably a bit much.
So too is the etymology of the “Scummers” nickname for Portsmouth fans: “Skates”. I will let you look it up, for reasons of decency. But yeah, you can’t park there.
I think there is a misnomer that the most hateful rivalries are either intra-city and surrounding areas or between northern powerhouse cities. The South Coast derby and the South Wales derby disprove that theory. It is horrible and it is wonderful because it is horrible.
The atmosphere was visceral in the best way, that glorious mix of tension, nerves, hate for the opposition, love for your own club and desperation for your next seven days and beyond not to be ruined. This is the good stuff.
2. The ground
Portsmouth’s home stadium, Fratton Park, is a pure throwback to yesteryear (Photo: Getty)
The location of a derby matters. I am sure Southampton supporters will vehemently disagree, but I reckon that this game is twice the occasion for being in Fratton Park.
It is squeezed between terraced houses and yet still in the city. It is a pure throwback, with the crowd a distance from the pitch that genuinely felt unsafe when Southampton players were taking a throw or leaving the pitch. And it is in a city that has a distinct edginess that ramps up even further on days such as these.
These old grounds seem to keep the noise inside better than newer stadiums on which millions has been spent to ensure effective acoustics. Archibald Leitch – you were a real one.
3. The pre-match
In 2019, the last time the two teams met at Fratton, there was such violence outside the ground that a “bubble” system was introduced for Sunday. For those who don’t know, that means Southampton supporters could only get to the game by travelling to St Mary’s, getting on an official coach and getting their ticket – after being frisked and bags checked – on the way to Portsmouth.
I don’t agree with bubble matches, but you see the point here: the streets are narrow and it is easy for away supporters to get “approached” by home fans and problems ensue. It also means that Southampton got the full away end, even if they had to be in it almost two hours before kick-off.
The 12pm kick-off time, moved at the advice of police, makes pre-match entertainment tricky. Many home supporters deal with that by getting into the ground early and drinking out of two-pint glasses at 10am. You have to admire it.
4. The range of policing
Police horses were present for Sunday’s game between Portsmouth and Southampton (Photo: Getty)
Quick one, but still worthy of note: there might have been a zero per cent chance of Portsmouth and Southampton supporters meeting on Sunday, but this was still a major police operation. Walking to a football match and seeing dozens of officers reiterates how big the fixture is. It only increases your excitement.
There were police on foot, in cars, in vans, on cycles and in helicopters. NB: a copper on a bicycle invites jeers from supporters. Not sure why, but quite funny.
The one thing I didn’t see: police on horses (although photographic evidence shows they were there). That may or may not be related to a police horse being punched at this ground in 2019. Some people are awful.
5. The comparative lack of success
Portsmouth have won one trophy since 1950 and almost went out of business in recent memory, spending time in the fourth tier of English football. Southampton have won one major honour in their history, an FA Cup 50 years ago.
You may disagree, but that improves a derby for me. Manchester United and Liverpool hate each other, no doubt, but their fixtures typically have repercussions for title races, cup wins or Champions League qualification and are watched by the entire nation.
The last five South Coast derbies
Portsmouth 1-1 Southampton – Championship, 25 January 2026
Southampton 0-0 Portsmouth – Championship, 14 September 2025
Portsmouth 0-4 Southampton – Carabao Cup, 24 September 2019
Southampton 2-2 Portsmouth – Championship, 7 April 2012
Portsmouth 1-1 Southampton – Championship, 18 December 2011
Here, the rivalry is closer to the whole of the truth and it is kept relatively in-house. Portsmouth and Southampton might not win another trophy between them in the next 50 years; the chances are probably in favour of that slightly bleak reality. But you will always have that day when you won away at them.
6. The weather
There is nothing anyone can do about this: the best derbies, particularly between comparatively non-elite teams, are played in wind and rain. You get the obvious advantages: ball zipping quicker across the pitch, potential problems of goalkeeper handling, the chance of a defensive mistake and sliding tackles extending further.
But there is also a temporary seasonal affective disorder that seems to affect players in these conditions, as if the stormy weather has whipped up their own tension to the point of overflowing. So yeah: “It was the rain and wind that made me push that bloke into an advertising hoarding.”
7. The fight
Southampton’s Flynn Downes clashes with Zak Swanson of Portsmouth (Photo: Getty)
Referee Lewis Smith deserves huge credit for managing Sunday’s game expertly: every decision right, didn’t bring out yellows early, calmed down nonsense and dealt with the one big scrap sensibly.
But that fight was monumental. A clash on the far touchline led to first a two-person altercation and then a melee that involved all 22 players. Every time you see both goalkeepers pushing opposition players around near the halfway line, you know they have lost control.
At that point Fratton became a boxing crowd, urging vengeance and violence with some of those fans roughly a metre from the scrap. Smith had little choice but to watch the pockets of trouble from a distance, like an ice hockey official working out who to send to the sin bin. Obviously nobody likes to see this (ahem).
8. The goal celebrations
There were two goals, diametrically opposite in aesthetic. Southampton’s opener involved a beautiful touch-and-pass in one movement from Finn Azaz and a fine run and finish from Leo Scienza. Ebou Adams equalised from a set-piece aerial scramble with an accusation of handball over the bundled finish.
But they shared something brilliant. With Scienza scoring at the opposite end to the away supporters, he ran the entire length of the North Stand, cupping his ear as he went, to end his sprint in front of the red-and-white mass.
So what did Adams do? He ran the entire length of the North Stand, whipping up his arms as he went, and ended his own 100-yard run at one corner of the Fratton Stand. Was this grown-up behaviour? Absolutely not. Was it wonderful for a watching neutral? Oh yes.
9. The laughable idiots
The Portsmouth pitch invader is escorted off the pitch by a steward (Photo: Getty)
After Southampton scored the opener, one Portsmouth-leaning chap did an immediate homage, getting onto the pitch and ambling all the way down to the Southampton supporters. He did so without a steward stopping him.
The gentleman proceeded to goad the away end, indicated that he had a large appendage and then pulled up his shirt to reveal a significant belly – all paid for – as he was being led away. Hope it was worth it.
Later in the half, another Portsmouth fan got on – nearer the away end this time. As well as being taunted by the away supporters, he was also targeted with a metal crutch that then – amusingly – had to be passed back up through the Southampton supporters by the stewards.
Both supporters were led away and will presumably not attend a match at Fratton for a very long time; they are a pair of dolts. But these are also the scenes nobody likes to see that you secretly like to see a bit.
10. The scoreline
The derby finished 1-1. It became stretched towards the end and Portsmouth looked the more likely to score, but were also absolutely knackered by the energy expended in getting back into the game against a supposedly higher class, and certainly more expensively assembled, opponent.
I am calling it: 1-1 is the perfect derby scoreline. It has to be a draw, because football has somehow been deliberately designed to make the vast majority of us never quite reach the top or bottom of the emotional spectrum; there is always another peak to climb or barrel to be scraped.
And 1-1 fits in everything we need from a derby snugly. It is never not competitive. Both sets of supporters get the moment of elation, be it taking the lead or celebrating an equaliser. Both get the fear too: “We are losing in the worst game possible” and “We have cocked it up despite leading”.
And you walk out of Fratton, whether you are a Portsmouth fan, Southampton fan or me, feeling simultaneously sated and wanting more. You hate derby days until the final whistle, at which point you can’t wait for the next one. And that is exactly how it should always be.
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