Conor Chaplin takes subtle swipe at Southampton - he was loving what Portsmouth fans did at St Mary’s | OneFootball

The 28-year-old returned to Pompey on deadline day from Ipswich Town on loan

Portsmouth attacking midfielder Conor Chaplin couldn't resist a subtle dig at Southampton following his side's goalless draw in the much-anticipated South Coast Derby.

The 28-year-old, who returned to Pompey on deadline day from Ipswich Town on loan, was full of praise for the 2,700 Portsmouth supporters who made the trip.

Conor Chaplin hails "incredible" Portsmouth backing at St Mary's

Speaking in his post-match interview, Chaplin delivered what amounted to little criticism of Southampton's atmosphere while lauding Portsmouth's travelling fans.

"It was incredible," Chaplin said.

"I think the majority of the noise throughout the whole 90 minutes and the build-up as well, and after the game was Pompey.

"So, it definitely helped us on the pitch, it didn’t feel like an away game in terms of noise and the atmosphere. I thought they were absolutely incredible and made us feel at home straight away," he continued.

Pompey fans were required to travel on club-organised coaches under police escort, with no food or drink permitted, and faced ticket prices of £40 for the privilege.

Despite these restrictions, they quickly snapped up all available tickets and created an atmosphere that clearly impressed their returning star.

"With that backing, I think you can do real good things together," he added.

What Chaplin was getting at is pretty clear - that Portsmouth fans had essentially turned St Mary's into Fratton Park for 90 minutes.

For a player returning to his boyhood club after seven years away, he told BBC Radio Solent: "You couldn't write it, the derby is a great occasion to come back to."

Conor Chaplin's words suggest Southampton failed to intimidate Portsmouth

For Chaplin, the game perhaps represented everything he had hoped for - except three points - when choosing to return to Portsmouth over other Championship clubs.

The former Barnsley man revealed he turned down interest from other clubs because "if I were to go anywhere, it had to be here".

"I didn't have the same feeling or excitement at playing for anyone else, I want to contribute on and off the pitch while I'm here," Chaplin concluded.

Considering it was Saints' first home derby in 13 years, Chaplin's words about the atmosphere imply that the Portsmouth squad weren't intimidated by the home crowd, even if it was just another dig.

As expected, Southampton sold out their home allocation of 32k for the game, so Saints fans could very well be a bit riled up by Chaplin's post-match interview.

However, there's no doubt that both sets of fans would've been equally disappointed that they didn't manage to score a single goal, given it was only the second goalless draw between the two Hampshire sides ever.