First published in The Pink on Saturday February 6, 2010

THE ONLY seven days of more importance than the coming week involved Le Tiss creating the universe and having a kip, as sort of described in the book of Genesis.

We’re on the cusp of getting to Wembley before a derby with Pompey, while they are fighting for their survival in every conceivable way.

Hampshire has never anticipated a footballing week quite like it has this.

For Saints fans, the derby match is getting most of the headlines, but the Tuesday night game with MK Dons is far more important when looking at it in the cold light of day.

A win would set us up not only for a day out at Wembley but a very real chance of some silverware too.

Already Saints fans have broken the record attendance in the Johnstohne’s Paint Trophy by selling over 26,000 tickets for the game.

To me, that suggests we’re more than up for this tie.

The atmosphere at evening games is always a bit better – probably because we’ve more time on the sauce – and cup games double that level of excitement.

Yes, as has been noted before, it is not the world’s sexiest competition but if you do well, you don’t care.

Kind of like losing your virginity to Amy Winehouse. I would imagine.

Still, any possible success – we’re only one goal ahead after all, so best not to assume we’ll soon be on Wembley Way – will quickly be tempered by the nerves ahead of the Pompey game.

But any nerves we face will be nothing to what’s going on down the road.

The biggest match of the week for the Fratton faithful – all seven of them – is at the High Court on Thursday.

The fact that a Premier League football club could feasibly cease to exist this week is mind blowing.

But if you’re stupid enough to give Peter Crouch a pay rise after leaving Champions’ League Liverpool, what do you expect?

You have to wonder if Pompey fans feel that winning the FA Cup would be worth the ultimate price? It’s a tough one.

You’ve got the memories and your name is etched on the trophy, but you might never see them play again.

I’m sure there’s another ‘losing your virginity’ analogy in there somewhere, but I’m not going to touch it.

They might manage to avoid the court date in the short term. They may even win it.

If they are able to come out of it, then all eyes turn to St. Mary’s.

Personally, I’m dreading it. Despite accusations of ‘giddy optimism’ last week, I usually fear the worst. As a Saints fan, it’s kind of been instilled in me over the years.

By all logical assessments, they should be the favourites.

They’re almost 40 places ahead of us in the league, after all.

But logical doesn’t matter, does it, or what would be the point?

A last minute 30-yard screamer from Rickie Lambert will certainly be high on my wish list as Saturday comes.

We can do it. I hope with all my heart that we do. I don’t dare entertain any other possible outcome.

It’s not the end of the world if we don’t – should the worst happen, hopefully we’ll have the bigger prize of a Wembley visit. Win or lose, I guess Pompey fans will just be hoping things will at some point get better.

Hope. As football fans, it’s all any of us have.

The past wasn’t all black and white

FOR this week’s cliché, it’s all about the past being a foreign land where they do things differently.

Children respected their elders, the trains ran on time and footballers never cheated – home or away.

I love my history and could spend hours watching documentaries and reading books that would put most insomniacs to sleep.

However, that doesn’t mean I want to live as they did in years gone by or get too sentimental about the way things were.

Which is why I’m not convinced about the suggested idea to return ‘to our roots’ and wear the same type of kit that St. Mary’s YMA did back in 1885 as part of Saints 125th anniversary celebrations. I see the reasoning behind it and, as a suggestion, I do see merits in the idea.

Now, I’m not expecting to see Lloyd James running around in knickerbockers with a handlebar ‘tache, but the idea flying around that Saints are considering playing in a white strip with a red-sash to mark the anniversary doesn’t overly appeal to me.

It’s not that I feel that stripes are sacrosanct – we’ve all seen the varied (a polite way of saying crap) kits the team wore in the 80s and 90s that had no stripes, shoulder pads and don’t even get me started on the shorts – I’m surprised players from that era were ever able to have kids.

It just seems like an away kit to me. Not quite Saintly enough, if you will. It also reminds me of the kit worn by Peru and I fear the Paddington Bear jibes it might get.

Admittedly, overpriced nylon isn’t the greatest fashion statement in the world, especially when advertising a company with a logo that chafes your nipples.

At least next year’s replica shirts won’t have that problem to contend with.

I like stripes. They’re what I’ve grown up with. Yeah, it’s not much of an argument, but it’s all I’ve got.