Mousinho’s makeshift Pompey take an injury crisis into the biggest derby in years
Wednesday 7 October 2026 · By Harry Ellwood
There is no fixture quite like it. On Sunday 11 October, Portsmouth travel to St Mary’s for the South Coast derby against Southampton, with a 12pm kick-off. It is the biggest game of the season for many Pompey fans, and the target is clear: a first win at Southampton in 16 years. The problem is that John Mousinho will be without as many as nine first-team players.
The injury list makes for grim reading. Conor Shaughnessy has a groin problem, and Arthur has a stress fracture in his back. Ogilvie has a knee injury and has not made an appearance this season. Josh Murphy had groin surgery in August and is targeting a return later in October. Waddingham injured his ankle against West Ham in August, Umeh has a hamstring problem, and Brooke-Smith suffered a broken leg and dislocated ankle that will keep him out for months. Kosznovszky and Blair are also long-term absentees. Marko Milovanović is touch-and-go.
There is one bit of good news, with Keshi Anderson back in training. But the overall picture is of a squad stretched to the limit, and Mousinho will have to field a makeshift side for the derby.
There was a lift during the international break, though. Portsmouth played a behind-closed-doors friendly against Chelsea at Cobham and won 2–0. Friendlies are not the same as competitive games, but beating Premier League opposition will have done the players’ confidence no harm.
In the league, Pompey sit 19th on eight points after seven games, with two wins, two draws and three defeats. They have a game in hand on most of the division, which offers hope. If they can win that game, they would move up the table and ease some of the pressure. Nine goals scored and ten conceded shows a team that is competitive, even if the results have not always gone their way.
Southampton have their own issues. They are 13th after a four-point Spygate deduction, and manager Tonda Eckert has faced an FA misconduct hearing that could lead to a personal ban. Saints are also managing injuries, with Cyle Larin and Daniel Peretz both carrying knocks. On pure results, though, Southampton have been one of the best sides in the division, and Larin has scored seven goals.
The fixtures after the derby are brutal. Pompey host Sheffield United on 14 October, travel to Norwich on 17 October and Wolves on 20 October, before hosting Millwall on 24 October and travelling to Burnley on 31 October. That is six games in three weeks, and with this injury list, navigating them will be a huge test.
Fratton Park has historically been a fortress, and the home games will be vital. But first, the focus is on Sunday. Derby day brings out the best in players, and a makeshift side may raise its game for the occasion.
A win at St Mary’s would be historic and would lift the whole club. It will not be easy, but derbies rarely are. Play up, Pompey.
Fratton Park is a proper old English ground squeezed into the streets of Portsmouth, a short walk from Fratton station. Capacity sits a little over 20,800. The pitch runs east to west, which is unusual in this country, so the goals sit in front of the two ends rather than the long stands. Visiting supporters are housed in the Milton End, the orange stand on the east side of the plan above. The noisy home end is the opposite goal: the taller Fratton End to the west.
Away coaches are usually dropped behind the North Stand. From there it is a short walk down the side of that stand to the Milton End turnstiles on Specks Lane, off Goldsmith Avenue. On a Saturday those gates tend to open around 1.30pm; for a midweek kick-off expect them from about 6.15pm. The approach is tight and residential, so allow extra time if you are walking from the station or a city-centre pub. Signage is clear once you are on Goldsmith Avenue.
The Milton End is the smallest stand and was once an open terrace. It now has a roof, rail seating in places, and better toilets and kiosks than older guides describe, but it is still a converted bank with a steep drop. You climb about 27 steps with handrails to the back row and around 42 down to the front. Rows nearest the pitch have limited leg room and a wall that makes life awkward if you are under about 5ft 4in. Sit higher if you can: the view of both goals is cleaner and you stay under the roof. Support pillars can pinch the sightline in some seats, so if you have a choice, avoid hugging a column.
Standard away allocations are often around 1,400, rising toward the whole end (roughly 2,800–3,200) when demand is high. Segregation can put home fans in the same stand, usually toward the South Stand side, with a buffer between the two groups. Atmosphere from the Fratton End carries straight across the pitch; Pompey crowds are loud but the ground has a reputation for being firm rather than nasty with visitors. Stewards will expect you to stay in your section. Musical instruments need prior agreement with the club.
There is no alcohol on sale in the Milton End because the kiosks sit in view of the pitch. Soft drinks and standard match-day food are available behind the stand. Fratton Park is cashless, so bring a card. Women’s toilets sit by the entry turnstiles; men’s are a climb toward the seats. Ground-level accessible toilets and catering in the away end are limited. A handful of visiting wheelchair spaces are allocated through your club; they have sometimes been sited away from the Milton End, so check with Portsmouth’s disability liaison officer before you travel.
The South Stand, along the near touchline if you are looking from the Milton End toward the right, is the 1925 Archibald Leitch stand with the mock-Tudor facade on Frogmore Road, the tunnel and the dugouts. The North Stand opposite is the largest, two-tier home stand and includes family blocks. Do not try to use home turnstiles. The designated away pub in many club notes is The Good Companion on Eastern Road; several other spots closer to the station fill up early with mixed crowds. Leave time after the whistle: Specks Lane empties slowly and the streets around the ground are narrow.
Fratton Park rewards a bit of homework. Know that your goal is the east one in front of the Milton End, that the walk in involves stairs, and that the noise from the Fratton End will be in your face for ninety minutes. Get in early, take a higher seat, and you will see a compact, characterful Championship ground that still feels like a football ground rather than a bowl.