Portsmouth Women ready for derby day revenge as survival targeted v Southampton
Portsmouth Women have endured a baptism of fire to Championship life as a professional operation this season.
However, like London buses – or those on the South Coast to an extent – two long-awaited wins have come at once, with Jay Sadler’s side crucially moving up to third-bottom of the table with successive victories over Sheffield United and Sunderland.
The six points could make a massive impact with the Blades and Blackburn Rovers also scrapping alongside Pompey not to fall through the trap door to the National League via the sole relegation spot.
Portsmouth prepare for Southampton clash
Portsmouth head behind enemy lines on Saturday (22 March) with the latest of their contests with Southampton.
Having been beaten 5-0 in the league and 4-0 in the League Cup by Saints already this season, Sadler’s girls will not have forgotten that derby heartache against a rival outfit admittedly streaks ahead in terms of infrastructure, funding and development.
The clash at St Mary’s will be backs-to-the-wall, but it’s nothing Portsmouth are not used to with just four games now separating them from hopeful survival. The task is clear – do not finish bottom.
Sadler has now been in post for over eight years and witnessed the meteoric rise of the club who went from amateur, to semi-professional and now full-time in the space of just over a year.
His feet are on the ground despite the derby-day edge, focusing purely on the league outlook and gaining more points.
“We’re riding a wave of momentum at the minute,” Sadler told Portsmouth’s official channels (21 March).
“All we’re focused on is winning games of football – we’ve had the performances and the two wins.
“We need the points to detach ourselves from Blackburn and Sheffield United. We’re focused on figuring out what’s going to help us do that on the pitch on Saturday.”
Pompey Women have limitless potential if they stay up
Portsmouth Women are not shy. Their solitary season as a semi-professional side saw them treat the southern section of the National League as complete light work last term.
Their joint celebration with the Pompey men’s team on Southsea Common last April demonstrated how far they have progressed, but teething problems have certainly been the case since turning professional last summer.
On the end of some heavy hidings this season, the Blues are potentially saved by just one relegation place posing threat from the Championship this year, three teams now in a scrap to avoid it.
| POS | Women’s Championship 2024-25 | PLD | PTS | GD |
| 8 | Southampton | 15 | 17 | 2 |
| 9 | PORTSMOUTH | 16 | 8 | -30 |
| 10 | Blackburn Rovers | 14 | 7 | -12 |
| 11 | Sheffield United | 15 | 6 | -16 |
Should they survive this season, that robust mentality in the dressing room and Sadler’s never-say-die attitude could go a long way, with an already massively different squad bound to be strengthened further.
The funding can continue from the Eisners, the results can steadily improve and Portsmouth know the sky is their limit provided they can tread enough water between now and the end of this season.