THE picture you thought you'd never see - avid Saints and Pompey fans having a laugh together!

St Mary's regular supporter Steve Grant and Fratton Park season ticket holder Steve Turner can't wait for next month's Saints v Pompey double header.

Saints host the first south coast derby for almost eight years at St Mary's in the fourth round of the Carling Cup on Tuesday, December 2.

Nineteen days later comes the first league clash since January 1988, again at St Mary's.

Grant and Turner, who run supporters websites, have arranged a friendly match between two sets of fans to take place at Fareham Town's Cam Alders ground on Sunday, December 14 (11.30am).

That is followed by an under-10 round-robin event for Saints, Pompey and Fareham youngsters for the Bobby Stokes Memorial Trophy.

The highlight of the day, though, will be a match between an ex-Saints XI and an ex-Pompey XI (2pm).

The organisers are hoping for a crowd of around 2,500.

Guy Whittingham, Mark Chamberlain, Paul Walsh, Billy Gilbert, Micky Quinn, Alan Knight and Jon Gittens have already confirmed they will play for Pompey, with the ex-Saints XI yet to be announced, though Matt Le Tissier has been approached.

Grant, 20, said: "It should be a great day. We just want to promote good relationships between the two sets of fans.

"The national media often highlight the bad things that happen off the pitch but we want to show that Saints and Pompey fans can meet up, have a laugh and have a drink together without any trouble."

Turner, 40, added: "We want to use this match as an anti-hooliganism message - to tell those who want to cause trouble at the two matches that they're not welcome.

"I remember the bad days of hooliganism in the 70s and 80s, at one stage in the 80s I stopped going because of the trouble.

"There will be people coming out of the woodwork who want to cause trouble but let's show the bad old days belong in the bad old days. This is the 21st century and we want to show that Saints and Pompey fans can get meet without having to bash heads.

"Football has changed. It's no longer a working man's game, you see families and youngsters everywhere. If there's any trouble we could be starting on the road back to fences - and that's what caused the Hillsbrough Disaster.

"Let's show everyone that nobody needs fear going to a football match.

"I'm taking my whole family to St Mary's, I don't see why they should sit at home in fear of going to a football match. I'm going to go to both games and I'm going determined to enjoy them. That's what football is all about."

Proceeds from the matches are going to Cancer Research UK, The Rainbow Centre and Smile4Rich.

Donations will also be made to the children's wards of Southampton General and St Mary's Hospital, Portsmouth.