1. Pompey Vs AC Milan - The night we hit the big time 27/11/08
Nights like this are what you dreamed of as a kid. Who would have thought the likes of Ronaldinho and Kaka would grace the famous turf of Fratton park! The way the lads played that night was sensational. If only football was 86 minutes long! 2-2 at home to Milan could this have been the start of something special to come in the future? Sadly not although at the time it seemed it. Looking back now I view it as one of the last few highlights of our time mixing it with the big boys. Still we showed Europe we were the loudest proudest city there is and even Ronaldinho agreed by saying Fratton park has "the best atmosphere in world football" That night our players and fans done the city proud. If only it could have stayed that way, welcome to modern football!
2. Scum (Southampton) Vs Pompey - Every cloud 13/02/10
Everyone loves a derby day and we carried the bragging rights coming into this one having beat them 4-1 previously in 2005. 4-1 was the scoreline this day to. Although coming into the game as favorites due to being 2 divisions higher. Pompey financial difficulties had finally hit hard and were placed into administration the day before the big derby, this in a way gave our friends down the road an even greater chance of turning us over! Sadly for them though Pompey pulled it out the bag and every player on that pitch put there name into Pompey folk-law. The salt wasn't to be rubbed into our administration wounds. Instead we got a lovely plaster and a bloody fantastic cup run which once again ended at Wembley! This inevitably showed the spirit our fine club would carry into the woeful years to come. Knock us as hard as you like we will forever come back stronger!
3. Pompey Vs Chelsea - End of an era 24/03/10
A freezing cold night at Fratton park is typically advantage Portsmouth. Not on this night though, Pompey were on the receiving end of a 5-0 smashing from current manager and fans favorite Avram grant's old club. The night must have been horrible for him as he set out to prove a point to former employees! Although Pompey were at a weakness due to the brilliance of David James being ruled out injured. As well as getting no luck whatsoever all game but that is usually the story when facing the moneybags! However loosing 5-0 at home pretty much signaled the end of what was a cracking time in the topflight, however we were not the side we were of previous seasons and simply were not premiership standard! This was the first and only game I've personally left early. Although it was dad's choice not mine! This was without doubt the funeral for a side that had not quite hit the drop yet. As Pompey only managed 1 win out of the 7 league games to follow the Chelsea disaster. That was it Premiership life was complete. Pompey were championship bound and only left with pleasant memories, they done the south coast proud!
4. Tottenham Vs Pompey - The final hoorah 11/04/10
With the Premiership life coming to an end, a day out at Wembley in a FA cup semi final against high flyers Spurs was surely just a final big day out? Nearly every Pompey fan went with the thought of 'expect nothing and get drunk as this wont come around anytime soon' I saw it as a last trip to Wembley and spurs fans were arrogantly over confident as usual as one said to me on the train 'I'm not going to the game today lad, saving my money for the final but still enjoy your day' have that you arsehole! This was more than a final big day out, this was a reason to come back a month later. As Pompey won that day without the star man Jamie O'Hara who couldn't feature against his parent club. Even without Jamie Pompey went on to secure a sketchy 2-0 victory in extra time! 'Ave that 'Arry!! This games is significant in my eyes as once again it shows the clubs fighting spirit as they once again fight back. Near enough relegated yet still defy the odds and get a return trip back to Wembley! Avram's men put one past the new found enemy who at the time were the blame for killing Pompey, what a feeling, what a day, what an era!
5. Portsmouth Vs Leicester - A win finally 24/09/10
The premiership days were over and the championship was back at Fratton park. And it started how the Premiership ended and that was crap! Stats were not looking good for the boys from Fratton park as no side had ever stayed up with a start as bad as Portsmouth's. Having only picked up 2 points from a possible 21! Loosing against Leicester earlier in the same week in the league cup left Pompey's glass feeling half empty rather than half full. But as the sky camera's arrived at Fratton park so did the performance of a lifetime as the home side went fox hunting and smashed 6 home and left the fratton end bouncing again, even Michael Brown scored! This result kick started a run of 7 games undefeated where only 2 points were dropped, a run which was dearly needed to avoid back to back relegation's.
6. Scum (Southampton) Vs Pompey - Chuck day 07/04/12
With Relegation to the lows of league 1 on the cards. Derby day came at possibly the worst time for Pompey as our 'friends' were sat pretty at the top of the championship whilst Pompey were becoming very close friends with the relegation zone, but still none of that matters on the day. What matters is the hatred between each city and the long lasting bragging rights. Which Pompey couldn't bear to let go of. I went to the game and in the bubble just thought about the abuse that we'd get for years as things were not looking great. But on that day a legend known as David Norris was born! With 'who the f*** is laughing now' ringing round the ground from the inbred's down the M27. Then this happened "Long ball into the edge of the box, Rekik wins his header. Shhhot on goal OH WHAT A GOAL!!! DAVID NORRIS HAS EQUALIZED FOR PORTSMOUTH IN INJURY TIME. AND THE NORTHERN END OF ST MARY'S EXPLODES IN BLUE COLOR" What a moment, what a man, what a club! That game summed up the spirit that Michael Appleton had created around the club. A never say die attitude even when you don't know if you're getting paid, I miss that squad, I miss David Norris.
7. Pompey Vs Sheffield United - The dreams come true 20/04/2013
10 days previous to this fixture Portsmouth FC started a new chapter of its long illustrious 115 year history. That chapter being one where the fans owned the club! The dream us fans had dreamt for months before had finally come true, Portsmouth would walk out at Fratton park without administration on there shoulders and being owned by the fans! The financial woes were over and the future looked bright again. What a day of celebration it was, the players sensed the buzz about the place and banged in 3 early goals to secure a 3-0 win. Although relegated to league 2 this was possibly the best end to a season in 5 years! We own our own club, we are now financially secure. Portsmouth has its soul back, bring on 2013/2014!
