Portsmouth rivals Southampton appeal for help ahead of West Brom semi-final and potential return of south-coast derby

The fans of Pompey’s arch rivals Southampton are being asked to ‘take it up a level’ for their Championship semi-final, second-leg game against West Brom on Friday.

The club felt the need to encourage their fan base to generate more noise for the key match against the Baggies by putting a story up on their website.

In it, they’ve asked Saints supporters to be manager Russell Martin’s ‘12th man’ and to wear the colours of the team in order to generate an electric atmosphere at St Mary’s.

It’s a tactic Pompey chose not to adopt as they closed in on this season’s League One title, with the Fratton faithful naturally playing their part in helping John Mousinho’s side get across the line to be crowned champions!

Encouraging Southampton fans to get to the ground early, too, a statement from the club read: ‘The support this season has been brilliant, and now we’re asking supporters to take it up a level and bring the noise to be our 12th man for this important semi-final.

‘We want the players to walk out to a sea of red and white as they arrive, as well as in the stands, so we encourage supporters to wear their colours.

‘Whether it’s a new shirt or an old shirt, we’d love to see the Saints red and white army out in full force to make the most of an important second-leg home advantage.’

Southampton, who boast the fourth biggest attendance average in this season’s Championship with 29,373, head into the second leg on level terms with West Brom, after Sunday’s game at the Hawthorns ended goalless. Failure to see off Carlos Corberan’s side will mean a second successive season in the Championship and the return of the south-coast derby in 2024-25. The last time it was part of a league schedule was in 2011-12 when both second-tier games ended in draws.

That prospect is something Pompey fans have been looking forward to and there’s no doubt who they will be rooting for on Friday night (kick-off 8pm).

The Fratton faithful have been in good voice and spirits all season and have been trusted to generate special atmospheres everywhere they’ve been this term. An unforgettable promotion party was sparked by the Blues’ dramatic 3-2 win against Barnsley on April 16. Pompey then had to remind fans to celebrate responsibly and not invade the Fratton Park playing surface for the presentation of the League One winner’s trophy following the Wigan game on April 20.

If Southampton fail to win promotion via the play-offs, then all eyes will be on the fixture list when it is released on Wednesday, June 26, at 9am to see the date of the first south coast league derby in more than 12 years.