Southampton troll fierce rivals Portsmouth as game called off due to power failure

Portsmouth were forced to telephone disconnected their Championship fixture with Millwall owed to a powerfulness nonaccomplishment astatine Fratton Park - and they were subsequently mocked by their arch-rivals connected societal media

Southampton made airy of Portsmouth's floodlight nonaccomplishment connected Wednesday nighttime by mocking their arch-rivals with a witty societal media post.

Pompey were owed to big Millwall successful the Championship astatine Fratton Park, but fans were near successful darkness erstwhile the lights astatine the stadium chopped retired conscionable minutes earlier kick-off.

The hosts posted connected societal media that they were "looking into" a powerfulness contented conscionable earlier 7:50pm. But it was astir an hr aboriginal earlier a further update was issued, with the crippled called disconnected conscionable aft 8.40pm.

And Saints made the astir of an accidental to hitch brackish into their rivals' wounds by sharing a representation of their ain stadium lit up astatine nighttime with the caption: "Football nether the lights".

The station went down a tempest with fans of some Southampton and Millwall. One Saints protagonist wrote: "Brilliant that," portion different said: "Might beryllium the champion station ever from Admin. Superb".

Southampton's posts echoed chants made by Millwall fans, who conjured up a chant of, "How s*** indispensable you be, Southampton person lights". A Portsmouth instrumentality adjacent got successful the enactment and begrudgingly admitted: "You cognize what, we merit that".

Portsmouth main enforcement Andy Cullen spoke to the media aft the lucifer was postponed and explained that the nine mislaid powerfulness successful the stadium astatine astir 7.35pm.

He told BBC Sounds: "We were capable to reconstruct the floodlights conscionable aft 8pm and I person to springiness afloat recognition to the lucifer officials, who gave america each accidental that we could to hole the occupation and get the powerfulness backmost on.

"We past got to a constituent wherever the floodlights backmost and the exigency lighting was connected successful astir of the stands, however, determination were inactive issues successful presumption of non-emergency lighting and different areas, specified arsenic CCTV which wasn't moving to its afloat extent. So we had a determination to marque successful presumption of assemblage safety."

He went connected to explicate that different contented was encountered astatine 8.30pm involving the Millwall fans and their quality to marque it location safely.

He added: "There's much to a lucifer than conscionable 22 players connected a shot pitch. We had a capableness assemblage present contiguous and we did not person the assurance that we could get done the full crippled with different lighting not working.

"We past got to 8.30 - we inactive felt determination was an accidental to propulsion it done - but past determination was a further occupation successful presumption of the past trains going backmost to London for the Millwall supporters. They would not person been capable to needfully get those past trains back, truthful a determination astatine that constituent had to beryllium made.

"I'm truly disappointed and upset that we've had to telephone the crippled off. But it was the lone logical determination we could marque astatine that peculiar clip successful the interests of everyone's safety."

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