For May 2nd I'm going back 6 years to 2015 and York City's League 2 visit to Fratton Park, Portsmouth.
Portsmouth are one of those clubs with bags of tradition. A club which, in your mind's eye, has seen better days. A club which is too "big" for third and fourth tier football but which probably isn't quite big enough for the Premier League? Down the years it feels as if Portsmouth have either been under or over achieving. Rarely do they seem to achieve the stability of "their level" and we could debate long into the night as to what Portsmouth's level actually is!. This season Portsmouth are slumming it in third tier League 1 with attendances worthy of a higher level but struggling to achieve the promotion that the scale of the club would seem to deserve. Between 2003 and 2010, Portsmouth, or "Pompey" as they are affectionately known by the locals, did have a run in the Premier League as well as reaching a couple of FA Cup Finals, one of which they won in 2008.
The Pompey nickname applies equally to club and city and probably originated in the Royal Navy. Certainly Portsmouth has been a base for the Royal Navy for centuries. But did you know that Portsmouth is actually to be found on the island of Portsea and is Britain's only island city? Portsmouth are a football club whose supporters have their own long established chant. This is known as the "Pompey Chimes" and is apparently the oldest football chant still in use today although I'm not sure exactly who has decided that. The tune mimics the chimes of the nearby Town Hall clock with the refrain "Play up Pompey, Pompey play up".
Portsmouth's stadium, Fratton Park (or "the old girl" as some supporters refer to it) is one of English football's traditional grounds. In recent years it has looked a little out of place in the company of Premier League clubs who have long since upgraded their own facilities. Some areas of the stadium are, by modern standards, more than a little tired and the club has redevelopment plans in hand, although I could probably have said that at any time over the last 30 years! One splendid feature of the stadium is the mock Tudor Pavillion which has been there since 1905 and which backs on to the Archibald Leitch designed South stand. Leitch's architectural work is disappearing fast today so I'd recommend a visit just in case it goes the way of White Hart Lane.
During 2009/10, Portsmouth's last in the Premier League, the club were placed in administration and were immediately deducted nine points which made relegation almost certain. Within two years, Portsmouth were to go into administration again, this time incurring a ten point deduction. During this period the club came close to being wound up on more than one occasion. Relegation to League 1 followed as did a third ten point deduction in December 2012 and a second consecutive relegation in 2013. Portsmouth, now owned by the supporters therefore found themselves in League 2 where they were to remain until 2017.
Hence Portsmouth found themselves hosting York City in 2015. The attendance, huge by League 2 standards, was 17,254. We had to wait a long time for the goals to come. Serial finisher Matt Tubbs put Pompey one-up after 82 minutes but City forced a draw three minutes later via Brad Halliday. Honours even for two clubs who ended the season close together in the league table, Portsmouth finishing in 16th position compared to York's 18th. The difference between the two the following season was much more stark, but that's another story.
CRB Match No. 2036
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