COMMENT: Saints v Cherries - the derby that's not really a derby

Well, it is a derby for one team, but not really for another.

Well, it kind of is a derby in terms of geography, but not really in terms of history.

Well, actually for one side it is the big one, for the other it isn’t.

Hope that has cleared it up.

This weekend sees the first top flight meeting between Saints and Bournemouth, and there is a weird atmosphere surrounding the game.

For Bournemouth, it seems this is massive occasion.

For Saints, it is just another important home game to win.

It is a really strange thing when one club views it is an intense rivalry and the other is fairly ambivalent.

You see it in other places too, such as the north east where Newcastle and Sunderland are fierce rivals, and then there is Middlesbrough as the spare part. Their fans of course want a rival, but it’s not the same.

We have the same down here.

Dean Hammond scores for Saints at Cherries in March 2011

Everybody knows that Saints and Portsmouth are the big rivals.

The rivalry between the two clubs almost spills over into downright hatred, sadly.

Despite many other parts of the country thinking their rivalries are the fiercest, I continually tell people that this one is as tense and as big as it gets.

It is of paramount importance for both sets of fans.

Bournemouth are the spare cog in all of this.

It is historical of course, and down the years also the Cherries have been the small sibling of the south coast family, dwarfed by the size, support and achievements of Saints and Pompey.

Now though, the upstart has made it to the Premier League, and find themselves playing Saints at the very top table of English football.

Pompey, meanwhile, languish in the bottom tier.

Most Saints fans are surprised when they first go to a game between Saints and Cherries, which has normally been reserved for pre-season friendlies, at just how vitriolic elements of the Bournemouth support are towards their neighbours.

Elements of their fan base really feel this is the big rivalry.

Bundle! Saints celebrate Dean Hammond's goal at Dean Court in the 3-1 win over Cherries in March 2011.

For Saints though this is small fry compared to Pompey. They don’t see any rivalry with Cherries.

Indeed, they actually generally cheer for them and wish them well.

It has created an odd build-up to this game, especially with the first meeting at St Mary’s.

There is a real sense that it is just business as usual at St Mary’s, not unlike it was before Leicester visited, or Aston Villa.

For Cherries this is huge in the sense they have wanted a top flight derby with Saints for so long.

It will be fascinating to see how the atmosphere translates into the stadium and whether it is actually a special derby day, or just business as usual.