Bring on Pompey!

James Beattie Southampton and England striker

Fourth-round draw Bristol City 0-3 Southampton

No prizes for guessing the big talking point of the week down on the South Coast - the Carling Cup draw against Portsmouth.

We were already looking forward to the first Premiership derby with our neighbours, this just adds a bit of extra spice.

It's a fantastic draw, and certainly all the players here at Southampton are well up for it.

I've never actually played in a derby match down here before. The last one in 1996 (which we won!) was before my time, so it's going to be a great occasion.

It goes without saying that it will contain all the usual passion and fire on the pitch, as well as off it.

It also doesn't need me to say that I hope all of that doesn't spill over, and that it's a great night for everyone.

The spice is added by the fact that the Carling Cup is the one that everyone fancies their chances of doing well in.

You can tell by the number of Premiership clubs in the last 16 that the competition is being taken more seriously than it has been by some people in the past.

And so it should be - it's a passport into European competition, and that's what everyone wants to be involved in.

Some figures were produced this week showing how clubs were reliant on one player for their goals.

Apparently, I top the list, scoring something like 70% of Southampton's goals.

Well, as a famous politician (Disraeli, if my history is correct) once said, there are lies, damned lies and statistics.

Where would Arsenal be without Thierry Henry?

The tone was slightly derogatory, in that it tried to brand us a one-team player.

I don't think that's the case at all. We've got plenty of goals elsewhere in the side, it's just a matter of time before they start going in.

Young Leandre Griffit (remember his name, you'll hear a lot of it in the future) showed that when he came on and scored against Blackburn last Saturday.

And we spread the goals around against Bristol City in the Carling Cup in midweek.

But, again, it's a question of perception.

Alan Shearer has been the cornerstone of Newcastle's goal-scoring for years, and where would Arsenal be without Thierry Henry?

They're not seen as one-trick pony teams, but what is wrong with having one player scoring the majority of the team's goals?

That's what strikers are for.

People might say, 'stop him, and you stop them scoring', but as long as the striker is scoring consistently, where's the problem?

It was certainly nice to get back on the goal trail last week, not that I felt I had ever wandered too far off it.

Five games (including European ties) seems a long time to go without a goal, but during that spell I never lost confidence.

And that's the most important thing, always retaining that belief - knowledge, really - that the goals will start flowing again.