News

Southampton – League 2010/11 Rivals Bournemouth

|
Image for Southampton – League 2010/11 Rivals Bournemouth

Southampton and Bourneouth have only played against each other competitively 18 times.The last occasion being in the 1987/88 League Cup.

On tuesday 22nd September saints travelled to Bournemouth and lost 1-0 in a close encounter. The return on the 6th October ended up as a 2-2 draw. This resulted in Bournemouth going through to the next round.

1959/60 was the last season which saw the two sides meet in a league. The League then was the old Division Three.

The first game that season was at the Dell on Wednesday 24th February. In an entertaining, high scoring game, Saints edged it 4-3.

The return match on Saturday 23rd April Saints won with a bit in hand. The score that day was 3-1 to Saints and we ended up winning promotion that season.

Last season the Bournemouth Manager performed minor miracles over and over again to get them promoted in an automatic place.

Money problems meant an embargo was placed on the club, but even though the club was unable to sign players, Eddie Howe kept the club at or near the top.

Now that the embargo is lifted the club has been able to strengthen and could prove to be a danger to most clubs through their work ethic and refusal to admit defeat.

Their fans seem to have a grudge against us for some reason, though why I have no idea. Where as we treat like a small cousin and quite like them they on the other hand treat us as a local rival.

In 1997 about 2000 of us Saints fans turned up for a special benefit match which had been set up to aid the Cherries in an hour of need.

Saints fans even put extra money into their collection outside the stadium to aid their cause and got over 90 minutes of verbal abuse for our kindness.

As a Saints fan I am quite looking forward to this game. I will be able to see the Cherries for the first time in ages and will be able to check them over as to their possible prospects for the coming season.

Share this article