JACK Cork admits he has sympathy for the plight of Pompey – but he will be putting that on hold this Saturday.

Saints will hope to take another step towards the Premier League, while pushing their bitter rivals closer towards the Championship trapdoor, when the teams meet at St Mary’s.

It will be a clash between two clubs enduring starkly contrasting fortunes.

Saints are closing in on back-to-back promotions and a top-flight return, while further down the M27 the future is bleak, with the icy grip of administration having taken hold at Fratton Park.

Although sections of the home support will undoubtedly revel in the desperate situation Pompey find themselves in, Cork insists he takes no joy from seeing such a cloud hanging over the club’s staff and players.

“It is unfortunate,” he said. “There’s staff there, there’s players there and it’s a bad environment for everyone to be in.”

Full report in today's Daily Echo