RICKIE Lambert admits he has been taken aback by how fierce the rivalry between Saints and Pompey is.

The 27-year-old hotshot will experience his first south coast derby tomorrow, in the FA Cup fifth round at St Mary’s.

Saints’ 24-goal top scorer is no stranger to local rivalries, having been born in Liverpool and played in Bristol, where it can be particularly nasty.

But he had no idea how intense it was in Southampton and Portsmouth until the last few weeks.

“I am surprised,” he said. “I am from up north and I did kind of know the rivalry from up there.

"But since I have moved here, all the talk of getting them in the draw, that is when I first realised how much the fans really do hate each other and how big the rivalry is.”

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