5. Portsmouth 0-1 Chelsea 15/5/2010
What better way to end a beautiful and tragic era in a club's history than with a trip to the most famous ground in England, to compete in the final of the oldest club competition in the world? It was a truly joyous day for Portsmouth fans regardless of the result, as the fixture itself was a symbol of the team's fighting spirit both on and off the pitch.
That said, there were fears of a heavily embarrassing defeat for Portsmouth. Chelsea had just come off the back of a 7-0 victory against Wigan, sealing their title in which they scored over 100 league goals. It seemed as though Pompey would be lucky to get out of this game without having conceded double figures.
But the battle through adversity continued and Portsmouth held theirselves firm in the face of relentless attack. Chelsea hit the woodwork a mind-blowing 5 times in the first half. David James' goal was leading the charmed life of a leprechaun's garden, and each defender had put in a career's worth of last ditch tackles. Namely, Aaron Mokoena spent the whole of the first half throwing himself around the area like a fish in order the block the many, many Chelsea attempts.
In the second half Pompey stumbled upon their cruel ray of hope. Aruna Dindane was felled in the area and a penalty was awarded. Kevin Prince Boateng, who had been one of the standout performers in a grim year, stepped up. He could only manage a nervy, tame effort and it was pushed away by Petr Cech. Chelsea then predictably went on to take the lead with a Drogba free-kick, before missing a late penalty through Frank Lampard.
It was a highly entertaining game and despite the result, the Portsmouth fans waved their flags and cheered in jubilation. It wasn't to be our cup, but it was to be our day.
4. Portsmouth 1-5 Arsenal 6/3/2004
This would seem an odd choice, but I think it celebrates a lot of what is great about Portsmouth Football Club. Back then, the days were carefree. We were flying high in the Premier League for the first time in over a decade, Harry Redknapp looked at home in the club's hotseat, Milan Mandaric was loved, the team was entertaining, the stands were full. Everything was great for Pompey, and this was made gleefully apparently when the fans were undeterred by a rampant Arsenal side.
The Gunners that evening were the best they've ever been. The passing was intricate, clever and beautiful, and the goals did flow. The creme de la creme de la creme simply had to be Thierry Henry. Breathtaking throughout, he came away with a brace during a truly stunning performance. All this simply left Portsmouth fans in a state of awe. They began to sing "can we play you every week?" and gave Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira standing ovations when they were substituted.
It was this phenomenal response that made the game so great. The atmosphere at Fratton Park that evening was beyond anything I've ever seen. At 5-0 down, the Pompey supporters continued to sing songs such as "We're gonna win 6-5", "Linvoy for England", and "Let's all have a disco". It was the most celebrated drubbing of a home team by the home fans in living memory. When Teddy Sheringham finally broke the Arsenal defence with a consolation goal, the cheers were enormous, as if Portsmouth had just scored a winner.
At the end of the night, everyone had praise for the Pompey fans. Thierry Henry donned a Pompey shirt before returning down the tunnel, and both managers could scarcely believe what had occurred. It was, without doubt, the best 5-1 defeat we've ever suffered.
3. Portsmouth 1-0 Liverpool 22/2/2004
Finally, a victory! This was not only a triumph over a very famous team, but a triumph over one of the most inept refereeing performances of all time. Having come back from 1-0 down at Anfield to force a replay, Fratton Park witnessed a game in which almost everything was weighted against Portsmouth.
The first half was a fairly even contest, with a few classy touches from Steven Gerrard providing Liverpool with some good opportunities. Emile Heskey and Bruno Cheyrou forced some good stops from Shaka Hislop. The Trinidadian 'keeper also had to make a strong save when Gerrard thundered a free-kick on goal.
It was the second half in which the controversy began. Referee Mike Messias made the bizarre decision to pull play back as Milan Baros was about to shoot, awarding Liverpool a free-kick. The kick was whipped in and Baros handled the ball in the area, but Messias awarded a penalty to Liverpool, as he had adjudged Linvoy Primus to have handled the ball.
After a few minutes of furious protests from the Pompey players, Messias finally agreed to talk to his linesman. The linesman told him he was an idiot, and the decision was reversed. Liverpool fans were not to worry though, as a stunning tackle from Matty Taylor dispossessed Milan Baros in the penalty area and the referee decided, once again, to award Liverpool a penalty.
Cue more furious protests, but this time the linesman left the referee to his own mistake and the decision stood. Michael Owen took the spot-kick, but it was an awful attempt and Hislop comfortably saved it. A few minutes later, Richard Hughes squeezed a daisy-cutter past Chris Kirkland to give Portsmouth the crucial goal. Despite what seemed like an extra game's worth of injury time, Pompey held on to a thoroughly deserved victory.
2. Portsmouth 1-0 Cardiff 17/5/2008
Well, yeah. I mean, you can't have the best FA Cup memories without the moment we actually won the bloody thing. I don't really even have to sum it up to be honest, it's obvious how meaningful, exciting and amazing this day was, and if you need a clue, just check out the celebrations on Southsea Common the following day (Spoiler Alert: Literally everyone was there).
Harry Redknapp's short-term affair with Lady Luck at Old Trafford aside, Portsmouth's FA Cup run in 2008 was devoid of many thrills. Not that this mattered, once the Premier League giants collapsed hilariously, the intimidating tag of 'favourites' suddenly fell on the shoulders of Portsmouth, and it became imperative that this famous old club didn't splurge the chance to grab a truly overdue trophy.
The semi-final win against West Brom was so nervy, nobody came home with any fingernails. The final continued in a similar vein, with neither side throwing their faith into the attack. Kanu had the best early chance, dancing his crazy dance around the Cardiff defence only for his lack of zimmerframe to impede him as he tumbled away, clipping the ball onto the post as he fell.
Not long afterwards though, John Utaka drilled a ball into the area and hapless throw-in phobic Fin Peter Enckelman parried it onto the toes of Kanu, who flicked it into the empty net. There was restrained euphoria, and the Pompey fans breathed a little. Cardiff had some decent chances in the second half, but the game never ignited. Portsmouth came home with the FA Cup, and once the final whistle had gone, relief turned into unrestricted joy.
It was the peak of a great side that would go on to die through financial troubles. Never before had Pompey fans seen a team like that of 2008, and probably never again will we see such an assemblance of quality. The great thing, though, is that unlike a lot of teams who have come and gone without upsetting the elite, Portsmouth made their brief spell at the top worthwhile with this single victory.
1. Portsmouth 2-0 Tottenham 11/4/2010
There was history to this game that added a context worth appreciating. The man who defined Portsmouth's time in the Premier League (whether we like it or not), Harry Redknapp, was now making a success of himself as Tottenham manager, having deserted the club for a second time the previous season. He had recruited players straight from Pompey, such as the now-maligned Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch, Younes Kaboul and Niko Kranjcar. These were people who had benefitted from Pompey's high-times and escaped before they had to suffer the damp patch. They weren't necessarily hated, but I'm sure all Pompey fans wanted them to taste a little bit of bitterness before the team ended their time at the top.
With the squad running on empty, morale low and one of the only shining lights Jamie O'Hara ineligible for the game, hope was emptier than a psychic's promises. Portsmouth fans travelling up the A3 had come to a conclusion during the journey that they were there "for the occasion" and "the result didn't really matter". There was no doubt in our minds that defeat was not only likely, it was assured.
Cue the craziest, most committed rearguard action to have ever graced Wembley. Tottenham had a staggering 31 attempts on goal throughout the game, and not one of them could find the back of the Pompey net (except for a header from Peter Crouch, but this was ruled out for a dubious foul). Portsmouth limped to half-time at 0-0, and crawled to full-time with the score still goalless.
Still, nobody was getting carried away. "A brave performance" and "We've done well to go this far" echoed throughout the stands. The players came back on the pitch and action resumed. Fans continued to be stoically expectant of the Tottenham winner.
Then it was a single slip from Michael Dawson. Frederic Piquionne couldn't miss, and before we could even contemplate that there was another goal to be scored in on the pitch, Portsmouth were 1-0 up. The noise was deafening from the blue end of the ground. Nerves carried on wrangling though, as Tottenham now desperately started chasing an equaliser. The tension was more unbearable than a penalty shoot-out, and I remember saying to my Dad "Why couldn't we have lost this 4-0 like we were supposed to".
In the second period of extra-time, Aruna Dindane suddenly broke down the field. Palacios clumsily brought him down inside the penalty area, and the sweet sound of the referees whistle met our ears. We had a chance to seal the deal, and Boateng set the ball up against his former team-mate. He thumped it home with a confidence that wouldn't have been matched by anyone else in the stadium, and Portsmouth went on to record a famous victory.
It was a tremendous day. Not only was it an unexpected win. Not only were we in the FA Cup final. Not only had we defied all the odds, predictions and pundits. Not only had we put one past the likes of Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch and the rest. Not only did it give us the opportunity to have a big day out at Wembley one last time before we sailed calmly into the Championship. Not only was it a testament to our continued survival from the clutches of financial abyss.
It was Harry Redknapp's little crushed face as well.
And a day to forget...
Portsmouth 1-4 Leyton Orient 5/1/2002
Ten years ago yesterday. I don't remember a lot about this game other than it was utterly depressing in every single way and Portsmouth were awful. We did go 1-0 early on through an own goal, but after that it was a laughably pathetic submission to a Division 3 team. Robert Prosinecki, possibly confused by Orient's Croatian-style Red and White shirts, barely hit a pass right all game, and there was hardly anyone left in the ground by the final whistle. It was one of the most miserable January evenings I can recall.
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