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| Location | Hampshire |
|---|---|
| Teams | Southampton Portsmouth |
| First meeting | Portsmouth 2–0 Southampton (6 September 1899 (Friendly))[1] |
| Latest meeting | Southampton 0–0 Portsmouth (14 September 2025) |
| Next meeting |
|
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 72 |
| Most wins | Southampton (35) |
| Largest victory | Southampton 5–1 Portsmouth (FA Cup, 13 January 1906) Portsmouth 5–1 Southampton(18 October 1919) Southampton 5–1 Portsmouth (27 August 1960) Southampton 4–0 Portsmouth (17 April 1975) Portsmouth 0–4 Southampton (League Cup, 24 September 2019) |
  Portsmouth  Southampton | |
TheSouth Coast Derby is a term used to describe football matches played betweenSouthampton Football Club andPortsmouth Football Club. The term is popular in broadcast media and newspapers.
Southampton play their home games atSt. Mary's Stadium, while Portsmouth play theirs atFratton Park. Southampton and Portsmouth are historically the most successful clubs on the southern coast of England and lie only 19 miles (31 km) apart inHampshire. However, because the two clubs have often been in different divisions, the derby game has only been played 71 times in "First Class" competition since the first meeting in 1899, and most of these coming in the pre-Football League era between 1899 and 1920.
In "First Class" matches between the two teams, Southampton have the most wins, with 35. Portsmouth had enjoyed a 32 consecutive seasons run in the top flight until 1959, during this time they becamechampions of England on two occasions and anFA Cup, while Southampton were in the lower levels of the football pyramid. Southampton gained promotion to the top flight for the first time in their history in 1966 and have been in a higher league than Portsmouth on 49 out of the 59 seasons that followed, including a consecutive run of 27 seasons in the top flight. Portsmouth have won the most major titles of the pair beingchampions of England twice (1948–49 and1949–50) and twiceFA Cup winners (1939 and2008), while Southampton have won the FA Cup once (1976). Portsmouth also hold a total of 12 trophies to Southampton's 4, and are one of only five clubs to have won every division in the Football League.
With Southampton being relegated from thePremier League and Portsmouth successfully competing in theChampionship, the South Coast derby will return during the2025–26 season, marking the first time the clubs have shared a division since the two draws in the2011–12.
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Southampton were originally formed in 1885 asSt. Mary's Young Men's Association FC, before adopting the nameSouthampton St. Mary's when the club joined theSouthern League in 1894. After they won the Southern League title in1896–97, the club became a limited company and changed their name toSouthampton FC. Portsmouth was founded in April 1898 and joined theSouthern League in1899.
The first match between the two clubs came in a friendly at Portsmouth'sFratton Park ground on 6 September 1899. The match was won "on their merits" 2–0 by Portsmouth, with goals fromDan Cunliffe (formerly withLiverpool) andHarry Clarke (formerly withEverton).[1]
Southampton and Portsmouth first played each other in theSouthern League in April 1900, with Portsmouth winning 2–0 twice in three days. The teams met regularly in the Southern League, and in the early years of the 20th century were rivals for the league title.
During the pre Football League era both teams enjoyed title success with Southampton winning the Southern League on six occasions 1897, 1898, 1899, 1901, 1903 and 1904. with Portsmouth enjoying two Southern League Titles in 1901 and 1920 and three Western League titles in 1901, 1902 and 1903
The first of four South Coast derbies in theFA Cup took place on 13 January 1906. Because of the large crowd expected for the first FA Cup meeting between the two rivals, the local registrars in both towns postponed voting in the1906 general election until the following week.[2] The match atThe Dell was attended by a capacity crowd of 14,000 and the Portsmouth fans, together with their players, did their best to unsettle the inexperienced Southampton goalkeeper,Bill Stead, who was making only his second first team appearance. Stead, however, showed few signs of nerves and produced a "phlegmatic performance",[3] restricting Portsmouth to a single goal fromDan Cunliffe, while the Saints scored five and eventually progressed tothe last eight, where they lost 3–0 atLiverpool.[2]
For the1920–21 season, both teams were admitted to the third division of theFootball League (together with the majority of the Southern League First Division sides). The first Football League game between the two clubs was on 11 September 1920, with Southampton winning 2–0. After two seasons in theThird Division, Southampton were promoted as champions in1922. Portsmouth joined them in the Second Division in1924 and were promoted to theFirst Division in1927, becoming the first southern club outside of London to reach the top tier of English football. Up to this time the teams had met ten times in the Football League, with Saints winning four, Pompey three and three draws.
From 1927 until 1960 Portsmouth enjoyed a much-superior league position to their neighbours, winning the FA Cup in1939 and back-to-back League titles in1948–49 and1949–50, until1960, when Southampton gained promotion back to theSecond Division, Portsmouth having been relegated from the First Division theprevious season. The first match in all Competitions since 1927 did not end well for Portsmouth who were on the wrong end of a 5–1 scoreline atThe Dell. Both teams enjoyed derbies for eight consecutive seasons while both were in theSecond Division.
It would not be until1974–75 that the two would met in the league again when Southampton were relegated from theFirst Division the previous season. A notable victory for Southampton included the 1–0 win on 6 April 1976 which is to date the last league victory for Southampton atFratton Park.
In 1978, Southampton were promoted back to the First Division where the derby occurred only once in the FA Cup in 1984.
In 1987, Portsmouth gained promotion to First Division which ensured that the South Coast derbies would return for the first time in the league since 1976. A notable victory for Portsmouth coming in a 2–0 win atThe Dell in an otherwise forgettable return to top flight football during the1987–88 First Division season
During the period from 1988 to 2003 the derby only happened once in the form of an FA Cup match atThe Dell in 1996.
Events such as the death of Portsmouth goalkeeperAaron Flahavan, a Southampton-born footballer whose brotherDarryl had played for Southampton (and would later play for Portsmouth), occasionally brought the fans together.
Portsmouth were crowned champions ofDivision One in 2003 which signaled not only Premiership and a return to the top flight but it reignited the clubs' rivalry – the first time the two teams had met in regular league competition since the1987–88 First Division season. Both teams had a home victory in a brief return of derby games during the2003–04 and2004–05 seasons.
The rivalry was galvanised with the appointment ofHarry Redknapp as Southampton manager in December 2004, just days after he had resigned as manager of Portsmouth, and less than a month after the Saints had beaten Portsmouth at St Mary's Stadium. The following month, the Saints were drawn against and defeated their rivals in a fieryFA Cup match, with former Portsmouth strikerPeter Crouch (who would go on to rejoin Portsmouth in 2008) scoring the decisive penalty in the last minute of the match.
However, Portsmouth struck back in the next league encounter between the rivals, with Portsmouth registering a 4–1 win atFratton Park, which was their second biggest after the 1919 5–1 victory. It turned out to be Redknapp's only return to the ground with the club. Southampton were subsequently relegated from the Premiership on the final day of the 2004–05 season, ending their 27-year run in the top flight of English football. Redknapp caused more controversy when he left Southampton and returned to Portsmouth later in 2005 and enjoyed success.
During the seven years that followed it was Portsmouth's time to hold the higher league position in the Premier League while Southampton were in theChampionship and then inLeague One.
Portsmouth won theFA Cup again in2008 under Redknapp, whilst in2009, Southampton were again relegated, this time toLeague One.[4] The two sides met in a fierce FA Cup match at St Mary's in 2010 which Portsmouth came out 4–1 victors again and went on to reach theFA Cup final that season, due to financial problems Portsmouth were docked 10 points by the FA and were in turn relegated to the Championship for the 2010–11 season.
Southampton were inLeague One during the 2010–11 season so it would not be until the next season South Coast Derby football would return.
The matches played during the2011–12 season both ended as draws, but the club's fortunes differed considerably, with Southampton gaining promotion to the Premier League and Portsmouth once again going into administration and being relegated to League One.[5]
In September 2019, Southampton were drawn against Portsmouth in theEFL Cup for their first meeting in seven years. Unsurprisingly, Southampton comfortably beat their rivals, who were 51 places below them in the football pyramid, by 4 goals to 0.
Southampton had a disastrous2024–25 season in which they only managed to get two wins and were the earliest team relegated from the Premier League. During the same season, Portsmouth successfully finished mid-table in the Championship, to set up the first South Coast Derby in the league for 13 years for the 2025–26 season. The first derby came in September 2025 at St Mary's with a goaless draw.
The acrimonious departure of Harry Redknapp from Portsmouth to Southampton brought the bitter rivalry between the two clubs to a new level. When Redknapp returned to Portsmouth in November 2005 following Southampton's relegation, it only served to further sour relations between the two clubs. The two clubs' chairmen at the time,Rupert Lowe (Southampton) andMilan Mandarić (Portsmouth), publicly criticised one another on a number of occasions, with Lowe calling for an inquest into irregular betting patterns in the run-up to Redknapp's re-appointment. Mandarić had even sent a boxed duck as a Christmas "gift" to Lowe (as Lowe had been on a hunting trip when the "ordeal" began), but the gesture only furthered the animosity between the two.[6][7][8][9]
Exactly when the fierce rivalry between the supporters of the two clubs began is not entirely clear. Until as recently as the early 1970s, many fans would go and watch the other team when their side was playing away.
In 1976, there were changes in fortune for both cities and their football clubs.Portsmouth International Port was built next to the newM275 motorway spur, both opening in 1976. This was seen as a threat to thePort of Southampton by its dockers. Portsmouth FC, on a decline, lost a fifth consecutive derby match against Southampton in a period from 1966 to 1976.[10] Southampton, then in the Second Division, were on the rise and won a shock victory in the1976 FA Cup final against First DivisionManchester United 1–0 at Wembley Stadium. The goal was scored by Portsmouth-bornBobby Stokes.[citation needed]
Southampton were promoted to the First Division in 1978. Meanwhile, Portsmouth plummeted to the Fourth Division in the same period. Jealously, bragging, changing fortunes between the opposing fans, and the rise of Englishfootball hooliganism in the 1970s are most likely[according to whom?] the cause of the bitter rivalry that now exists between both sets of supporters.
In the early 1980s,cross-channel ferry services then moved from Southampton toPortsmouth International Port. Portsmouth's closer proximity to the European continent saved fuel, journey time and made more economic sense to ferry operators. Portsmouth's closer distance toLondon by road and rail was also seen as a positive by European visitors.[citation needed]
In the1987–88 First Division season, Portsmouth and Southampton both met in the top division of English football for the first time in their shared histories. This was the first season that Southampton fans began using the derogatory "Skate" nickname for Portsmouth's supporters, which had been chosen from a fanzine poll.[which?] Despite a 2–2 home draw at Fratton Park and a 2–0 away win atThe Dell, Portsmouth were relegated back to the Second Division after only one season.[citation needed]
In the early 2000s, Southampton based ship builder Vosper Thornycroft moved from its Woolston yard to new facilities at Portchester, near Portsmouth, and also into a newly built ship hall withinHMNB Portsmouth. West Quay shopping mall in Southampton city centre was also opened, which attracted many Portsmouth residents away from Portsmouth's traditional shopping areas, favouring the new West Quay mall which offered more variety than Portsmouth's declining Commercial Road and Palmerston Road shopping areas.[citation needed]
On 15 May 2005, Portsmouth, now in the Premier League, lost 2–0 away to relegation threatenedWest Bromwich Albion. Portsmouth's loss earned West Bromwich Albion three points and survival to end one place above the relegation zone. However, this result also affected and confirmed bottom-placedSouthampton's relegation to the second tier of English football for the first time since 1978.[11] Portsmouth supporters ironically celebrated their 2–0 loss to West Bromwich Albion as a victory as it had relegated Southampton to a lower division than Portsmouth for the first time since the 1960–61 season, when Portsmouth had been in the Second Division and Southampton were in the Third Division.[citation needed]
In 2015, 10,000 Portsmouth residents signed a petition againstPortsmouth City Council's decision to allow airlineEmirates to use its red and white livery (Southampton colours) for its sponsorship of theSpinnaker Tower in Portsmouth.[12] The city council subsequently came to an agreement with sponsorsEmirates to use blue and gold (Portsmouth colours) instead, donating the now-unnecessary red paint to local charities instead.[12][13]
In 2019, the two teams met for the first time in over seven years, anEFL Cup tie atFratton Park. Tensions at the game ran high, and as such police presence was high; hundreds of police officers were bought in from multiple police forces across Hampshire in order to prevent violence between the two sets of fans in what has been described as the biggest football policing operation conducted in Hampshire.[14] The police worked for over an hour separating fans in order to prevent a brawl as Southampton fans made their way fromFratton railway station to Fratton Park.[14] Despite the best efforts of the police, violence and anti-social behaviour ensued; before the game, red and blue flares were set off near Fratton station and the Shepherd's Crook pub respectively.[14] Following the 0–4 result, tensions increased as items were thrown towards police and a police horse was punched.[14]
Portsmouth supporters refer to Southampton supporters as "Scum" or "Scummers". According to Portsmouth fans, the term "scum" developed out ofacronym standing for "Southampton City (or Corporation) Union Men", with the term originating from whenSouthampton dockyard workers crossed the picket lines in the 1930s when Portsmouth dockyard workers were on strike.[15]
Southampton supporters have taken to referring to their local rivals as "Skates", after a Southampton fanzine,The Ugly Inside, asked its readers in 1988 to suggest an abusive term most likely to cause offence to Portsmouth supporters.[16][15] This date coincides with Portsmouth's return to the First Division in its1987–88 season, when both clubs occupied the same division for the first time since 1976.[17]Skates was chosen as the derisive alternative to "matelot" to describe naval sailors, Portsmouth being the home of theRoyal Navy.[citation needed] The name "Skate" originates from the civilian population of Portsmouth, and was originally an insult directed towards sailors working on ships inHMNB Portsmouth, or who were otherwise associated with the Royal Navy.[18] Sailors on long voyages would go long periods without female company, so would use skate to relieve themselves sexually; this led to sailors who attempted to approach prostitutes in Portsmouth being refused and told "I ain't no skate bait, mate".[18]
"First class" competitions only[19]
| Competition | Played | Results | Goals | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | Portsmouth | Draw | Southampton | Portsmouth | ||
| Southern League | 32 | 15 | 12 | 5 | 43 | 43 |
| Football League | 29 | 12 | 6 | 11 | 50 | 36 |
| Premier League | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| FA Cup | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 6 |
| League Cup | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Total | 72 | 35 | 21 | 16 | 117 | 91 |
Southampton vs Portsmouth
| Portsmouth vs Southampton
|
| Date | Score | Winner | Competition | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 January 1906 | 5–1 | Southampton | FA Cup | The Dell |
| 20 January 1984 | 0–1 | Southampton | FA Cup | Fratton Park |
| 7 January 1996 | 3–0 | Southampton | FA Cup | The Dell |
| 2 December 2003 | 2–0 | Southampton | League Cup | St Mary's |
| 29 January 2005 | 2–1 | Southampton | FA Cup | St Mary's |
| 13 February 2010 | 1–4 | Portsmouth | FA Cup | St Mary's |
| 24 September 2019 | 0–4 | Southampton | League Cup | Fratton Park |
Updated to 9 February 2024
| Player | Portsmouth career | Southampton career | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Span | League Appearances | League Goals | Span | League Appearances | League Goals | |
| Matt Reilly | 1899–1904 | 138 | 0 | 1895 | 2 | 0 |
| Arthur Chadwick | 1901–1904 | 43 | 9 | 1897–1901 | 81 | 6 |
| John Lewis | 1900–1901 | 21 | 7 | 1907–1908 | 24 | 10 |
| C. B. Fry | 1902–1903 | 2 | 0 | 1900–1902 | 16 | 0 |
| George Molyneux | 1905–1906 | 23 | 0 | 1900–1905 | 142 | 0 |
| Alex McDonald | 1902–1903 | 7 | 7 | 1901 | 5 | 5 |
| Tommy Bowman | 1904–1909 | 85 | 3 | 1901–1904 | 88 | 2 |
| Kelly Houlker | 1902–1903 | 23 | 1 | 1903–1906 | 59 | 3 |
| Isaac Tomlinson | 1906–1907 | 5 | 0 | 1905–1906 | 29 | 8 |
| Jack Warner | 1906–1915 | 227 | 10 | 1905–1906 | 17 | 0 |
| John Bainbridge | 1906–1907 | 25 | 4 | 1907–1910 | 84 | 20 |
| Alex Glen | 1907–1908 | 7 | 1 | 1906–1907 | 29 | 10 |
| Ernest Williams | 1906–1909 | 32 | 5 | 1912 | 1 | 0 |
| Arthur Charles Brown | 1907–1910 | 9 | 0 | 1906–1907 1910–1912 | 0 39 | 0 0 |
| Edward Bell | 1911–1912 | 4 | 0 | 1906–1908 | 4 | 0 |
| Billy Beaumont | 1907–1910 | 70 | 2 | 1910–1911 | 27 | 0 |
| Jerry Mackie | 1920–1928 | 278 | 78 | 1928–1931 | 81 | 24 |
| Robert Blyth | 1921–1922 | 8 | 2 | 1922–1923 | 8 | 0 |
| Ted Hough | 1931–1932 | 1 | 0 | 1921–1931 | 175 | 0 |
| Willie Haines | 1922–1928 | 164 | 119 | 1928–1932 | 70 | 47 |
| Johnny McIlwaine | 1928–1930 | 56 | 5 | 1930–1932 1933–1937 | 46 81 | 9 9 |
| Bill Rochford | 1931–1946 | 138 | 1 | 1946–1950 | 128 | 0 |
| Bill Kennedy | 1932–1933 | 1 | 0 | 1936–1938 | 43 | 0 |
| Mervyn Gill | 1953–1955 | 6 | 0 | 1955–1956 | 1 | 0 |
| Harry Penk | 1955–1957 | 9 | 2 | 1960–1964 | 52 | 6 |
| Ron Davies | 1973–1974 | 59 | 18 | 1966–1972 | 240 | 134 |
| Mick Channon | 1985–1986 | 34 | 6 | 1966–1977 1979–1982 | 391 119 | 157 28 |
| Bobby Stokes | 1977–1978 | 24 | 2 | 1968–1977 | 216 | 40 |
| Steve Middleton | 1977–1978 | 26 | 0 | 1969–1970 | 24 | 0 |
| Paul Gilchrist | 1977–1978 | 39 | 3 | 1972–1977 | 107 | 17 |
| Malcolm Waldron | 1984–1986 | 23 | 1 | 1974–1983 | 178 | 10 |
| Trevor Hebberd | 1991 | 4 | 0 | 1976–1982 | 97 | 7 |
| Ivan Golac | 1985 | 8 | 0 | 1978–1983 1984–1985 | 144 24 | 4 0 |
| George Lawrence | 1993 | 12 | 0 | 1980–1982 1985–1987 | 10 70 | 1 11 |
| Eamonn Collins | 1986–1989 | 5 | 0 | 1981–1983 | 3 | 0 |
| Ian Baird | 1987–1988 | 20 | 1 | 1982–1985 | 22 | 5 |
| Jon Gittens | 1993–1996 | 83 | 1 | 1985–1987 1991–1992 | 18 19 | 0 0 |
| Colin Clarke | 1990–1993 | 85 | 18 | 1986–1989 | 82 | 36 |
| Barry Horne | 1987–1989 | 70 | 7 | 1989–1992 | 112 | 6 |
| Andy Cook | 1987–1991 | 16 | 1 | 1997–1998 | 9 | 0 |
| John Beresford | 1989–1992 | 108 | 8 | 1998–2000 | 17 | 0 |
| Alan McLoughlin | 1992–1999 | 309 | 54 | 1990–1992 | 24 | 1 |
| Matthew Robinson | 1998–2000 | 69 | 1 | 1993–1998 | 14 | 0 |
| Dave Beasant | 2001–2002 | 27 | 0 | 1993–1997 | 88 | 0 |
| Eyal Berkovic | 2004–2005 | 22 | 2 | 1996–1997 | 28 | 4 |
| Scott Hiley | 1999–2002 | 75 | 0 | 1998–1999 | 32 | 0 |
| Nigel Quashie | 2000–2005 | 148 | 13 | 2005–2006 | 37 | 5 |
| Peter Crouch | 2001–2002 2008–2009 | 37 38 | 18 11 | 2004–2005 | 27 | 12 |
| Vincent Péricard | 2002–2006 | 44 | 9 | 2008 | 5 | 0 |
| Ricardo Fuller | 2004–2005 | 31 | 1 | 2005–2006 | 31 | 9 |
| Martin Cranie | 2007–2009 | 2 | 0 | 2004–2007 | 16 | 0 |
| Jhon Viáfara | 2005–2006 | 14 | 1 | 2006–2008 | 76 | 5 |
| Grégory Vignal | 2005–2006 | 14 | 0 | 2007–2008 | 20 | 3 |
| David Connolly | 2012–2015 | 38 | 11 | 2009–2012 | 61 | 14 |
| Gavin Bazunu | 2021–2022 | 44 | 0 | 2022– | 61 | 0 |
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Both Portsmouth and Southampton have hadwomen's counterparts in the past.Southampton Saints L.F.C. had the better history, affiliating to Southampton F.C. and taking on the club name in 1995, maintaining membership of theFA Women's Premier League National Division from 1998 to 2003 and finishing runners-up in theWomen's FA Cup in 1998-99.Portsmouth F.C. Women, formed in 1987, has never climbed higher than the second tier.
Both teams played in theSouthern Championship in the 2006–07 season. Portsmouth was a strong contender for promotion (they finished 3rd), while Southampton was relegated to the Regional Combinations. The former Portsmouth manager,Vanessa Raynbird, also played in and later managed Southampton as well.
Southampton F.C. had ended its links with Southampton Saints L.F.C. in 2005. In 2017, Southampton F.C. formed a women's section,Southampton F.C. Women. In summer 2021 Southampton F.C. Women were awarded upward club movement to the third-tierFA Women's National League Southern Premier Division, of which Portsmouth F.C. Women are long-serving members, meaning the 2021–22 season saw the resumption of the South Coast Women's Derby.
| Honours | Portsmouth | Southampton |
|---|---|---|
| Football League First Division / Premier League (first tier)[20] | Champions1948–49,1949–50 | Runners-up1983–84 |
| Football League Second Division / Football League First Division (second tier)[20] | Champions 2003 Runners-up 1927, 1987 | Runners-up 1966, 1978, 2012 |
| Football League Third Division (South) / Football League Third Division (third tier)[20] | Champions 1924, 1962, 1983, 2024 | Champions 1922, 1960 Runners-up 2011 |
| Football League Fourth Division (fourth tier)[20] | Champions 2017 | *Never Competed* |
| FA Cup | Winners1939,2008 Runners-up1929,1934,2010 | Winners1976 Runners-up1900,1902,2003 |
| League Cup | – | Runners-up1979,2017 |
| FA Charity Shield | Winners1949 (Shared) Runners-up2008 | Runners-up 1976 |
| Southern League | Champions 1902, 1920 Runners-up 1900, 1907 | Champions: 1897, 1898, 1899, 1901, 1903, 1904 |
| Western Football League | Champions 1901, 1902, 1903 Runners-up 1908 | Champions 1908 Runners-up 1904, 1906, 1909 |
| Football League Trophy | Winners: 2019 | Winners: 2010 |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Home ground |
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| Training ground | |
| Players | |
| Related articles | |
