HAMPSHIRE Police will more than double their usual matchday presence for Saints' Carling Cup cracker with arch-rivals Pompey.

A highly-charged atmosphere is guaranteed for the first south coast derby in nearly eight years and the police are planning to take no chances.

Saints and Pompey go head-to-head first on Tuesday, December 2 (7.45pm) in the Carling Cup and then on Sun-day, December 21 (12.30pm) in what promising to be a memorable build-up to Christmas.

Chief Supt Paul Stickler, the head of Southampton Police, admitted the Carling Cup game posed different challenges for the force, such as the greater chance for fans to drink before the game, the likelihood of extra Pompey fans, the increase in traffic at that time of day as well, as the fact the match kicks off after dark. But he stressed there was no reason to suspect any trouble between rival fans.

Away ticket allocation for the Carling Cup match is due to be confirmed by Saints today, but it is expected that there will be 4,250 tickets for Pompey fans - around 1,000 more than the likely amount for the league clash.

This is because away fans in the Carling Cup are allocated a maximum of 15 per cent of tickets, compared to around ten per cent for league fixtures.

Chief Supt Stickler, pictured, said: "We gauge the policing requirements for each individual fixture and take lots of factors into account.

"For most matches there are anything between 60 and 150 police officers moving between different areas around the city.

"For these fixtures it will be a much bigger presence and there will be at least double that number. We will decide exactly nearer the game, but we are talking a couple of hundred."

He added: "We will be launching a similar operation for the Carling Cup as we had planned for the league game to reflect the heightened atmosphere.

"The Carling Cup game does present different challenges. The traffic situation is different, it will be dark and we have to be aware that if people do want to drink they probably have a greater opportunity to do so.

"The cup game has a bigger allocation of away fans so the extra Portsmouth supporters could heighten things, although that doesn't mean there is any extra threat. There is also the fact that the match is to be decided on the night and there might be extra time and penalties, which means people would be leaving the ground later.

"A night game can add a different atmosphere - but that doesn't necessary mean we expect any trouble. Southampton fans have a very good reputation. Arrests are among the lowest of any fans and hopefully that will continue."

Chief Supt Stickler also confirmed that Southampton Football Club would make a contribution towards the cost of the huge policing operation for the two games.

Pompey's expected allocation of 4,250 represents around 13 per cent of the St Mary's capacity. It is thought to be slightly below the 15 per cent maximum so fans can be safely segregated.

They are expected to sell 4,000 of their tickets to season-ticket holders, with priority to those who went to most away games last season. The remaining 250 should then go to non-season ticket holders who saw the victory over Nottingham Forest in the previous round of the Carling Cup and who had bought those tickets from Pompey.