REMI Allen's Saints Women visit Portsmouth on Sunday in the latest instalment of the south coast derby.

Whether it's a game between school teams, academy sides or the senior teams, games between the two cities are always fiercely competitive because this is THE derby.

The pressure, the excitement, the want to put one over on your rivals is there for everybody. It's about how you handle those emotions.

The desire to win needs to be channelled in the right way.  Portsmouth are yet to earn a point this season while Saints are up in fifth with seven from four games.

On paper, that should mean Saints have the advantage heading to Fratton Park, but as the cliche goes, form counts for nothing in derby games.

There are several players in the Saints team who have grown up in the area or lived here for some time. They will know the importance of this game.

The opportunity to play them, especially at Fratton Park, is one you want to make sure you capitalise on. Those players who grew up supporting the club will have dreamt of a derby win behind enemy lines.

I will be following the game closely. I wish them good luck and hope they come back with the victory having got another one over on our rivals.

On the same day, I will be at St Mary's, supporting the cause for the game between Saints Legends and Russell Martin's XI.

It's always a great occasion when we can get former players back together, even if we are a bit slower than we were during our playing careers.

I haven’t played much football in recent years due to some injury issues but I will be there to do my bit and help raise money for some great causes.

Tickets for the charity game are priced at £3 for children and £10 for adults, with the proceeds going to the Saints Foundation, The Russell Martin Foundation, and The Ex-Saints Association. 

I also wanted to wish good luck to Eastleigh, who start their FA Cup campaign this afternoon against fellow National League side Southend United.


We saw the Spitfires mount a strong FA Cup run last season, beating League One Reading at the Silverlake Stadium. It would be great to see them do something similar this season.

The financial gains from doing well in the FA Cup are massive for a team at their level, not to mention the unbelievable memories the players will make.

This is also another chance for supporters who would usually watch Saints on the weekend to check out another local side.

I wouldn't be able to talk about football without making mention of Southampton's 3-1 defeat at Arsenal.

Although they lost, I felt there was some cause for optimism. The opening goal, scored brilliantly by Cameron Archer, gave us some hope.

Saints were ultimately undone by Arsenal's superior quality but I was pleased for Archer to get a goal and was quite surprised by what I saw from Paul Onuachu.

He made a mark on the team and looks like he could be an option, even though he looked close to an exit this summer.

I still think we need to see more from him before we can start asking for him to be a starter but his performance against Arsenal was a step in the right direction.

Unfortunately, his opportunity was likely a direct result of Ross Stewart's latest injury. All of our hearts went out to him when he sat down, unable to continue at the Emirates.


Stewart has had such a horrible time with injuries since joining Southampton. Last Saturday was his first start for the club, over a year on from his arrival.

We don't currently know the length of his injury but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's not another long-term blow.

The rehab room can be a difficult and lonely place. Those emotions are only heightened when you return there so soon after a previous injury.

I've had my own reoccurring back problem in recent years and that plays havoc with your mind. You start to doubt yourself, which is not easy.

My thoughts are with Stewart. It's difficult when your body isn't letting you do what you love. I'm sure he will bounce back.