By The Telegraph (World News) | Created at 2024-09-30 17:30:38 | Updated at 2024-09-30 19:29:39
2 hours ago
Good evening and welcome to our live blog of the match between two noble costal rivals, separated on the south coast of England by the New Forest. Hard to dislike either side (Pompey fans, do feel free to comment below) and hopefully we’ll have an enjoyable game. AFC Bournemouth are in 13th with one win under their belts, newly promoted Southampton have yet to notch three points and are having a tough start to life back in the top flight with just one point from five matches.
Their manager Russell Martin has challenged his players to use the club’s early-season frustrations to fuel a surge up the Premier League table.
“We should have more points, we should be higher up in the table, but we’re not,” he told a press conference.
“It makes me really frustrated but also then tells us we’re really not far away and if we keep on doing the right things with the right intention that eventually those things will end up levelling out and becoming more of a reality.
“Sometimes that is football, that is life, and you either choose to suffer through the pain or you choose to grow through it and you choose to use it as fuel. I always know what my choice is.
“I think we will get better and then we’ll end up with the points we hopefully feel we deserve.”
Southampton were poised for a first top-flight victory this term last time out before conceding a last-gasp equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Ipswich.
Saints are unbeaten in their six most recent visits to Vitality Stadium in all competitions, including winning the last three without conceding.
Martin is relishing taking on Andoni Iraola’s Cherries but insists previous results are irrelevant.
“It’s a local game, the fans will be desperate for us to go down there and put in a performance but not just because of the locality of the team we’re playing against but because we want to win and we need to win,” he said.
“I haven’t placed any extra onus on the game because of that and we’ll go there and treat it in the same way we would any other game.
“Previous games, previous results, we haven’t played against each other under myself and Andoni, so I don’t see how any of it really matters.
“It’s a completely different game and one I’m really excited about.”
