Pompey can play up at Southampton - Smith

Jim Smith believes Portsmouth can use tonight’s south-coast Carling Cup derby against Southampton to kick-start their Barclaycard Premiership season.

After an impressive opening to their first campaign back in the top flight since 1988, Harry Redknapp’s side have lost seven of their last nine league games and now find themselves only two points off the drop zone.

Assistant boss Smith, though, feels a win at St Mary’s will be just the tonic Pompey need to start an upturn in fortunes.

“We are not playing as well as we were at the start of the season, but it only takes one thing to turn things around,” he said.

“This is a good time to for us to get back to winning ways for the fans.

“There is not as much pressure on us in this match as there would be in a Premiership game and we have told the players to go out and express themselves.

“The Premier League is the most important thing, but we owe it to the fans to put on a good show.”

Smith, 63, has spent five years with Portsmouth during two separate spells at Fratton Park, but has never before been involved in a derby against the Saints.

Some 4,000 Pompey fans are expected to make the 25-mile trip along the south coast and Hampshire police have drafted in 280 extra officers to help prevent any problems between the two sets of rival supporters.

Smith reflected: “This is the first time I have been involved in a Portsmouth/Southampton match and I am looking forward to it.

“There is always a keen rivalry whenever two local sides meet, but hopefully that will be contained inside the stadium.”

Redknapp has injury problems with Shaka Hislop, Nigel Quashie, Vincent Pericard, Jason Roberts and Svetoslav Todorov all out injured.

But Senegal midfielder Amdy Faye may be recalled after a month out with a knee injury while Mark Burchill is set to make his first appearance of the season on the bench.

Harald Wapenaar is set to deputise for Hislop in goal again, as the regular Pompey number one continues his recovery from a double hernia operation.

And the 33-year-old Dutchman knows just how important tonight’s game is.

Wapenaar, a summer signing from Utrecht, said: “On my first day at Portsmouth I was told by a fan that if we won only one match all season it had to be against Southampton. This is how much it means.

“It has been a difficult time for me so far. I have let in eight goals in four matches, but I do not think I have done anything wrong.

“Even so, the pressure is on me. This would be a great time to improve my own form.”

He added: “Our fans are desperate to win this match and the two league games. Nothing else seems to matter.”