The crowds are picking up again this season as Saints fans lick their wounds and come to terms with the ongoing issues after the summer, but one thing has never been in doubt and that is that every ticket would be sold for the game against Pompey on Sunday October 11th.
Saints have confirmed that they have sold all the tickets in the home areas for the Scummers V Skates High Noon showdown.
Portsmouth themselves have already confirmed that they have sold their 2,500 allocation and the stage is set for the game as Saints look to put the old enemy to the sword at St Mary's for the first time since the 2-1 victory in the FA Cup on 29th January 2005, a win that followed on from beating them in the League by the same score 2 years earlier.
Near on 26 years seems a long time but in reality it equates to just 3 games, last year was of course a 0-0 draw and before that it was the 2-2 draw in April 2012 when Billy Sharp appeared to have won the game in the 89th minute before a long range effort from David Norris evened things up a minute later.
The February 2010 meeting in the FA Cup saw then League One Saints take on Premier League Pompey, the only time we have met them in our entire history when we have had a lower status in terms of the League we are both in than them.
That game was controversial as although the game was close, at half time it was 0-0, after 2 second half goals from the Skates, Rickie Lambert halved the deficit with 70 minutes to go, two late goals sent us to a 4-1 defeat, however the controversy surrounded Pompey substitute Dusko Tosic, who it turned out hadn't been registered by the club, due to a transfer embargo.
Embarrassing for Pompey, but the FA chose to gloss it over and Pompey escaped without punishment although they were in administration barely a fortnight after the game.
This game in itself was their only win on Southampton soil since January 1988, that game also a rare win for the Blue Few and their first since 1964, meaning that in total Pompey have won only 3 times since 1927 in either the Dell or St Mary's