Fulham - Strange But True

When is a derby not a derby?

It's an interesting question especially for London clubs who find that games against other London clubs naturally assume the mantle of being described as a derby.

Often, supporters feel offended to be linked to a derby match when the club involved isn't actually the closest to them, but does a derby get defined by geographical location?

Take the case of our opponents on Sunday - Portsmouth.

For many a year it has been naturally assumed that Southampton are their closest rivals and, therefore, fixtures between the two sides are described as derbies.

But, the clubs are now in different leagues, so returning to the old geographical adage about a derby being between your nearest rivals, does that make Sunday's game a derby for Portsmouth but not for us?

A little lost?

Perhaps I should point out that, geographically Fulham are the nearest other club to Portsmouth in the Premier League with a distance of a mere 70 miles separating us!

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