SAINTS Trust chairman Nick Illingsworth will be joining thousands of others in Southampton cheering on the Welsh tomorrow.

Illingsworth will be backing ex-Saints boss Dave Jones' Cardiff City in the FA Cup Final against bitter rivals Portsmouth, as a large part of Southampton, for one day, becomes an extension of the Welsh capital.

It will be a nerve-racking day for many Saints supporters, who will be hoping they don't have to endure wild scenes of celebration just a few miles down the M27.

Illingsworth expects there to be a great deal of support for the Welsh side tomorrow, even if that somewhat goes against the nature of being English.

"Football is all about local rivalries, be it Saints-Pompey, Liverpool-Manchester United, or Celtic-Rangers," he said.

"The fact of the matter is that most Saints supporters will be praying for a Cardiff win, that's the nature of football."

However, despite his support for the Bluebirds, Illingsworth admits there are some Pompey fans who he feels deserve their success.

He is not expecting that to matter to the vast majority of Saints fans, though.

"We must remember that, although we don't like Pompey doing well, they more than anyone had to sit in the shadow of their local rivals for some 50 years.

"They had to do that without ever really being above us in terms of league position, attendances or anything.

"There are supporters there who are genuine football fans, who love their club and have stuck by it.

"Half of me says, for those loyal fans who were going when there were only about 8,000 people watching them, that they deserve it.

"But the other half of me hopes they get beaten.

"The nature of football is you want your local rivals to be beaten and you want them to be beaten well.

"But some of their fans do deserve it if they win.

"But if Cardiff City do win, I will celebrate like its 1999."

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