Peter Crouch is ready to face his former Tottenham youth teammate Ledley King - with or without a White Hart Lane car park pass.

Striker Crouch scored his second goal in his first Saints league start against Middlesbrough last week and will continue alongside Kevin Phillips as the club look for their first win under Harry Redknapp.

But the 23-year-old, who was at Spurs throughout his teens, knows that defender King, right, will be doing his best to stop him from scoring his third Premiership goal of the season.

Crouch said: "Ledley was in that youth team with me and is one of my best mates - and I've still got to ring him to make sure he leaves me a car park pass!

"It'll be interesting to come up against him, especially as I've never played against him in a competitive match, but it won't be easy.

"He's top class, he was always the best player when we were in the youth team together, he was exceptional from an early age and was one that was always going to make it.

"Now he's just proving what everyone at Tottenham already knew."

King has 11 England caps and starred for England during Euro 2004.

Crouch added: "I played with Ledley for England Under-18s and the manager at the time said he would play for England without a doubt.

"He's gone from strength to strength. He is so strong but for someone so big he's got exceptional ability, he's a ball-playing centre half and they're few and far between these days.

"I'd liken him to Rio Ferdinand. He's always been a centre half but George Graham played him in midfield and that was credit to his ability. Unfortunately for him England have got a lot of good centre halves but I'm sure he'll be a regular in years to come."

Crouch left Spurs in July 2000 for QPR, where he stayed for a year before moving on to Pompey, for whom he scored 18 goals in 37 appearances until Redknapp sold him to Aston Villa for £5m in March 2002.

Redknapp used the proceeds to take Pompey up.

But Crouch holds no grudges and was delighted to be handed a starting place alongside Phillips last week, after scoring just six goals in more than two years at Villa, and netting once in eight substitute appearances following his £2m move to St Mary's in August.

He added: "Before he came to Southampton I hadn't started a game here, which was a touch frustrating, but he showed he's got faith in me by putting me straight into the side and hopefully I've repaid him as best I can.

"Hopefully I'll repay him again on Saturday.

"It's always nice to go back to an old club, especially when you've got fond memories.

"It will be a test but we can take a lot of heart from our performance, if not the result, against Middlesbrough."