Visiting Fratton Park

 by Sam Haslam

The first in a (very) occasional series on life in Portsmouth…

 

First of all, let me say that I’m loving life in Portsmouth.  I like the city, the vibe, the people and my new role at PGS which it is a privilege to hold.  The (lack of) snow, no need to scrape the car in the morning and the fact that, according to BBC Weather, the sun rises 15 mins earlier and sets 15 mins later than I am used to are all huge positives!  That said, those of you of a certain age will know Sting’s “Englishman in New York” and there are times I sing it in my head, generally when discussing food.  What time do you eat in the evenings!!!

As a keen football fan (looking at Bradford City results will become a habit for PGS football fans if it’s the last thing I do) and as research for Year 9 after-school football next half-term as well as preparation for next season’s Fantasy Football Club, I felt it only right and proper that Fratton Park should be top of my list for a visit.  

First up – buying a ticket.  Quite rightly, ticket offices are a bit careful about handing out tickets in case away supporters find themselves in the home end.  But even with my West Yorkshire-addressed driving licence I came away with both a supporter number and a ticket to the North stand, near the halfway line, just like my Valley Parade seat.  What a triumph!  The following Monday, having suffered the bitter disappointment of losing 2-1 in the 6th minute of 4 minutes’ injury time, I had a very enjoyable 90 minutes at Fratton Park.  It was a refreshing change to watch a team that wanted to go forward and attempted a few through passes.  Even if it did feel a bit like cheating at times!  Sadly the result was the same, a 2-1 loss to Charlton.  

Persuaded by Pompey fans at PGS to give it another go, I went stand-surfing on Tuesday and got both a better view and a better result, this time 2-1 in Pompey’s favour and considerably more of the ”Play up Pompey” chants the crowd is famous for and which I’d gone to experience in the first place.  I did have to concentrate though – the next word in the chant “it’s the” is Portsmouth here, not Bradford.  And I had to make sure I didn’t cheer full time at Stevenage (the Bantams won 1-0) as Pompey were still playing.

For all that it’s different at Fratton Park, some things remain the same – that tingling feeling as you approach the ground, the old bloke behind you that moans from the 1st minute to the 90th, the fact that midweek matches in January/February are really cold no matter where you are (I’ve solved that by buying a scarf and hat and I’ve taken a picture to prove it) and the sheer fact that you just can’t beat the live football atmosphere.  Maybe I’m not such an alien after all!