Southampton: Carabao Cup draw provides first South Coast derby for eight seasons

Not much was expected ahead of the Carabao Cup third-round draw on Wednesday evening, but it provided a particularly exciting tie for Southampton fans.

Anticipation will grow for Saints ahead of the confirmed trip to Fratton Park to face arch-rivals Portsmouth; the first South Coast derby for eight seasons.

The game will be played during the week commencing the 23rd September, which will fall between Saints’ Premier League meetings with Bournemouth and Spurs.

This fixture always provides drama and some passionate scenes on the pitch and in the stands, with pride very much on the line for both teams.

The last clash between Saints and Pompey was during the 2011/12 campaign when a 2-2 draw saw Championship points shared at St Mary’s.

Saints progressed to the third-round after a 1-0 victory over Fulham on Tuesday night.

A second-half goal from youngster Michael Obafemi proved to be enough for the narrow win at Craven Cottage, and their reward now is a mouthwatering South Coast derby.

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Portsmouth beat Queens Park Rangers 2-0 away from home to reach Round Three too.

This followed another victory over Championship opposition in the first-round when they beat Birmingham City 3-0 at Fratton Park.

When the long-awaited day of Saints versus Pompey eventually arrives, the circumstances will be very different to previous years.

Four of the last six meetings between the two sides were when they were both in the same divisions – two Premier League games in 2004/05 and two Championship matches in 2011/12.

Now though, Saints have enjoyed a strong period of top-flight football and their rivals rebuild from the lower divisions.

Portsmouth’s troubles have been due to financial difficulties that came about during their spell under Harry Redknapp, and they have since spent time under fan ownership and now owned by American businessman Michael Eisner.

Saints also had financial difficulties following relegation from the Premier League, but rose back to the top-flight from League One in just three years from 2009 to 2012.