Southampton striker Danny Ings has fond memories of when the Saints were drawn against arch-rivals Portsmouth earlier this season.
The two sides were drawn together in the Carabao Cup third round at Fratton Park in late September.
The Premier League side emerged as comfortable winners, with Ings getting his name on the scoresheet twice in the 4-0 victory.
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When the draw came out, it was mad. The first person I called on FaceTime was Prowsey. As I called him, he was away from his phone just celebrating around the room. It was brilliant!
I was thinking, ‘I have to play in that.’ I would’ve been extremely gutted if I didn’t. I know there’s a difference in levels and they’re in a lower league to us, but those nights can be bogey nights for big teams, especially in derbies.
On the way in, you could just feel the atmosphere, the tension and how important the game was. You’re playing against Portsmouth – it’s not happened for a long, long time.
You’re either going to be a hero or you’re going to let a lot of people down. We knew what we had to do and we went there and did it in style.
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The Saints still hold the bragging rights in the south coast after the victory, which was incredibly sweet for all the fans.
This derby is widely considered as one of the fiercest in English football and it certainly did not disappoint.
The fact that the players were so excited when the draw happened is great to see because it proves that they understand the importance of the fixture, even though there is a big league gap between the pair.
