EMOTIONS ran high on Southampton Common yesterday - and not just because some of the UK chart's biggest names were there to play live.

The tenth annual Power in the Park was perfectly timed to catch the wave of excitement building ahead of last night's England-France Euro 2004 showdown.

In addition to the usual whistles and balloons, there was a plentiful supply of giant inflatable footballs - one of which was booted from the stage by soccer-mad Anthony from Blue.

Dressed for the occasion in an England shirt, he shouted "Come on England!" and urged the crowd to pay homage to Becks and the boys.

Unlike some football crowds, the 30,000 pop fans taking their places inside the fences for the first ticket-only Power in the Park were impeccably behaved.

Temperatures of more than 29 degrees centigrade made it an uncomfortable experience for some, but for most people the chance to see stars such as Deepest Blue and Girls Aloud in action made up for the exhausting heat.

The slick show gave fans a chance to see well-known acts like Mark Owen and Blazin Squad alongside current sensations such as McFly and the hotly-tipped likes of Mania and Alex Cartana.

Both performers and fans were in good spirits, thanks to the potent cocktail of sunshine and national pride.

Superintendent Gareth Jones, in charge of the 100-strong policing operation at the event, said: "It has gone very well. There have been 30,000 people here and they all appear to have enjoyed themselves and had a great day.

"We have not had any problems at all with extra people turning up. Our major concern before the event was, as it's been run previously as a non-ticket event, that we just didn't know how many would not have got the message but clearly they have."

Martyn Kingdon, radio control manager for Hampshire Ambulance Service at the event, said: "There have been no medical emergencies and the only things we have dealt with are the effects of heat on people.

"We have seen about 117 people back here because of the effects of heat and given them fluids.

"One young male had to go to hospital with a leg injury after a fall, but that was as a result of his own actions."

Despite regular announcements on air in the weeks leading up to this year's concert, some pop fans didn't realise they needed tickets to get in - but most of them were happy to listen to the show from outside the temporary fencing that surrounded the site.

Organisers denied that security staff were confiscating water and soft drinks from music fans after one woman claimed she almost had an unopened two-litre bottle of water taken away from her.

Elizabeth Walker, 26, who is five months' pregnant, said: "We explained that I was pregnant and needed fluid but the security person said 'I don't care - just go'. They eventually agreed that we could go in after we asked to see the terms and conditions of entry."

Power FM marketing marketing controller Sophie Fenning said: "People are being allowed to bring in unopened bottles of up to two litres. Anything that's been opened could contain alcohol, and this is a no-alcohol event. Bottles bigger than two litres could be dangerous if thrown."

DON'T MISS EIGHT POWER-PACKED PAGES WITH PICTURES AND REPORTS IN TODAY'S DAILY ECHO.