Seventeen Miles from Paradise: Southampton v Portsmouth

Just seventeen miles separates the Hampshire cities of Southampton and Portsmouth. But for more than a century, for one reason or another, their two respective football clubs have seemed worlds apart. From the pairs early jousts in the Southern League at the beginning of the Twentieth Century, through Pompeys FA Cup and League Championship glory years, and on to Saints recent 40-year domination, this complex, yet largely immature, rivalry is investigated from all angles. Seventeen Miles from Paradise celebrates the pride underpinning a peculiarly south-coast passion, while at the same time delving into the murky depths of prejudice, on both sides, which all too often poisons the atmosphere at derby matches. Drawing on archive material, this book analyses the success and failure enjoyed and endured by each club, setting the context for a regional pecking order that has never been easy to establish. This book introduces the fans, managers and players of both clubs especially those who crossed over and unpicks the controversies attending key matches over the decades. In this battle for south-coast supremacy, where fear and loathing have invariably triumphed over mutual respect, this book attempts to set the record straight. Seventeen Miles from Paradise is an essential read for all Saints and Pompey fans.