If Eastleigh were to get promoted...

The Spitfires currently stand in 6th place in the Conference, four points off the playoffs.

Should they ultimately get promoted this season, it will of course mean a league derby with Pompey [who'd have suggested that a few years ago?!].

What sort of logistical nightmare would this cause for Hampshire Police?

I would imagine there are a number of Saints members on here who've been to Ten Acres.

* What kind of segregation is there for Conference games?
* Would the 5,200 capacity be reduced to expand segregation, which would doubtless be necessary due to the idiots [Pompey and Saints ones] who would use the fixtures as an excuse to kick off?
* Could the Police make [on safety grounds] the extreme decision to insist that Eastleigh's home fixture to be switched to St Mary's (Havant & Waterlooville's FA Cup tie with Millwall a few years back was moved to Fratton Park on those grounds)

Your thoughts?

 

If Portsmouth were to get relegated . . .

 

If..! A lot of them, but I'm going to entertain your interesting scenario.

To my mind the Silverlake Stadium could [could, not would] be woefully inadequate to take all of the potential supporters for such a match. The club could make it all-ticket I suppose, which would control the numbers, but I'd expect a capacity crowd in any case, and that might be too much for the number of police and stewards allocated.

It could be an opportunity for supporters to mingle as I'm not sure that Eastleigh has had to do any segregation as yet in any of their matches. However, as we know, there is always the rabid kind of idiot lurking in the crowd who just exists to kick everything off, and such a game could be a blue touch paper.

Perhaps that could happen. Certainly containing Pompey supporters within St Marys would be quite easy, but also might tag Eastleigh Spitfires as some sort of Southampton FC 'B' outfit in Pompey supporters minds, and that would never do, for the sake of relations between Pompey and Saints supporters, or for Eastleigh FC itself. So perhaps it would be better to simply restrict the numbers in the Spitfire stadium by making the match all-ticket and turning away those [or shepherding them back down the M27], who don't have one.

How's that..?

 

It would be a tough one as I have no doubt there would be some nutters wanting to cause trouble. You just have to hope the club/police have a plan. You'd also have to consider if saints could play at home in the and day and kick off time.

If it did go bad for your lot and you ended up playing then down a level, it may be even worse if it gets considered "just a non/league" game. I remember playing for Newport on the island against Aldershot in an early round FA cup game. We were used to having crowds of 800 locals and then Shots turned up with 1500 fans and no segregation. There was some trouble.

 

No chance after that big win

 

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Honestly - I hope they get promoted; there is enough poll tax being paid these days to support Eastleigh in League 2 - good luck to them. Used to love going to watch them when Saints were playing away - before I moved to Dubai 2 years ago. My 84 year old father played for them after WW2 and goes to all the home games (sister and I now buy him a season ticket and he goes to all the home games!) and he is so besotted with their success and gives him something to look forward to at weekends. Why should they be held back - they are a great family club just like Saints!!

 

I have a soft spot for Eastleigh because when I went there, they were taking song requests over the tannoy and I managed to convince them to play Boys of Summer by Don Henley! Not your usual football song!

 

Nothing wrong with that reply at all and very unlike sb3 in my opinion.
If and I say a big IF Eastleigh get promoted then I can't see the police allowing away fans to have tickets unless the fixture was changed to St Mary's but then I can't see Eastleigh wanting to do that at all.
Trouble written all over it.