Premiership '09/10 : Hull City (a) 0-0

(Above images courtesy of www.portsmouthfc.co.uk)

Hull : Myhill, McShane, Gardner, Zayatte, Dawson, Mendy (Barmby 71), Marney (Ghilas 89), Olofinjana, Hunt (Garcia 74), Geovanni, Vennegoor of Hesselink.

Subs Not Used: Duke, Kilbane, Mouyokolo, Atkinson.

Booked: Marney, Myhill.

Portsmouth : James, Finnan, Wilson, Kaboul, Ben-Haim, Yebda, Boateng, O'Hara, Mokoena, Smith (Piquionne 65), Dindane.

Subs Not Used: Ashdown, Mullins, Vanden Borre, Webber, Kanu,

Belhadj.

Booked: Mokoena.

Att: 23,720

Ref: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire).

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Premiership '09/10 : Arsenal (a) 1-4

Cesc Fabregas of Arsenal is challenged by Niko Kranjčar at the Emirates.

Arsenal midfielder Andrey Arshavin is closed down by Nadir Belhadj and Sylvain Distin.

Younes Kaboul climbs highest to head Pompey's only goal of the afternoon at the Emirates Stadium.
(Image by kind permission of www.portsmouthfc.co.uk)

John Utaka goes close with a headed effort during the match against Arsenal.

(Image by kind permission of www.portsmouthfc.co.uk)

Arsenal : Almunia, Eboue, Gallas, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Diaby,Fabregas (Ramsey 46), Denilson, Arshavin (Merida 71),van Persie, Eduardo (Bendtner 71).

Subs Not Used: Sagna, Mannone, Song Billong, Clichy.

Booked: Diaby.

Goals: Diaby 18, 21, Gallas 51, Ramsey 68.

Portsmouth : James (Begovic 75), Wilson (Vanden Borre 69),Kaboul, Distin, Belhadj, Utaka, Mokoena, Mullins, Kranjcar,Kanu (Nugent 68), Piquionne.

Subs Not Used: Hughes, Basinas, Ward, Ritchie.

Goals: Kaboul 37.

Att: 60,049

Ref: Steve Bennett (Kent).

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Premiership '08/09 : BOLTON W. (H) 1-0

Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba gets a foot in against David Nugent.

Fabrice Muamba evades a challenge from Pompey's Younes Kaboul.

Niko Kranjčar is stretchered off in the second-half against Bolton.

The players celebrate after Nadir Belhadj's corner leads to Pompey's winner in the 78th minute.

Portsmouth: James ,Kaboul (Pennant ,89 ) ,Campbell ,Distin ,Hreidarsson ,Johnson ,Davis ,Mullins ,Nugent (Kanu ,71 ) ,Kranjcar (Belhadj ,77 ) ,Crouch
Subs not used: Begovic,Pamarot,Utaka,Hughes,

Bolton: Jaaskelainen ,Steinsson ,Andrew O'Brien ,Cahill ,Samuel ,Basham ,McCann ,Gardner (Muamba ,12 ) ,Kevin Davies ,Elmander ,Taylor
Subs not used Al Habsi,Hunt,Smolarek,Puygrenier,Makukula,Cohen,

Bookings: Distin ,Kranjcar (Portsmouth) Andrew O'Brien ,Hunt ,Kevin Davies ,McCann (Bolton)

Attendance: 20158

Referee: P Dowd (Staffordshire)

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Premiership 08/09 : WEST BROM. (H) 2-2

Hayden Mullins and Sol Campbell congratulate Younes Kaboul after his opening goal for Pompey.

Jonathan Greening falls under pressure from Younes Kaboul.

Jonathan Greening scores West Brom's equalising goal just after the half-time break.

Niko Kranjčar is closed down by West Brom midfielder Graham Dorrans.

Portsmouth: James ,Kaboul ,Campbell ,Distin ,Hreidarsson ,Pennant (Gekas ,89 ) ,Mullins ,Hughes ,Nugent (Belhadj ,64 ) ,Kranjcar ,Crouch
Subs not used: Begovic,Pamarot,Kanu,Utaka,Basinas,

West Brom: Carson ,Zuiverloon (Hoefkens ,77 ) ,Meite ,Olsson ,Robinson ,Morrison (Chris Wood ,75 ) ,Greening ,Koren ,Dorrans ,Brunt (Mulumbu ,81 ) ,Fortune
Subs not used Kiely,Menseguez,Borja Valero,Simpson,

Bookings: Hreidarsson ,Kaboul ,Kranjcar (Portsmouth) Dorrans (West Brom)

Attendance: 20376

Referee: M L Dean (Wirral)

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UEFA Cup 2nd Rd : A.C. MILAN (H) 2-2

(Image by kind permission of www.portsmouthfc.co.uk)

The songs of praise erupted late in the evening; ecstatic anthems crashing through the wind and the rain. The clamour lasted for 11 minutes before Fratton Park fell suddenly silent. And yet, in those brief, shining moments, we had heard some of the happiest sounds of the sporting year.

Sure, they were the same daft ditties they used to sing when, say, Burnley or Bristol Rovers were being put to the sword. 'Can we play you every week? . . . Are you watching, Southampton?' But this time, they were singing them to AC Milan, the most decorated football club in history. Portsmouth were taunting, mocking, patronising AC Milan. Because it was the UEFA Cup and they were two goals up with minutes to play.

'Are you Bournemouth in disguise?' they bawled, as if it were the most cuttingly sophisticated insult that the Rossoneri had ever endured. Local scores were being settled. Given time, they would surely have cited AFC Portchester, Farnborough North End or any number of uppitty irritants from the Wessex League.


But, deep down, they sensed they might never be given that time. There had been suspicious cheers when they took the lead. One goal is no basis for rampant celebration when you are Portsmouth, and they are AC Milan. Yet when the second arrived, after 73 minutes, the miracle seemed at hand. And that was when we envied them.

You see, the people who follow England's major football clubs are crassly convinced that the rich must inherit the earth. Give them a season without a trophy - or, as the cliché has it, 'silverware' - and they behave like tetchy shareholders at a stormy AGM. 'Time to go, Fergie! . . . Get your chequebook out, Roman! . . . What did Wenger ever do for us?'

But at places like Portsmouth, the fans are quite different. For them, success is something which arrives once in every couple of generations.

Of course they complain. They curse the boards, players and managers who come and go. And irrationally they insist that fate owes them a favour, rather like the venerable hack I knew who, in the week before payday, would cry: 'When, oh when, will Lord Rothschild recognise his parental responsibilities?'

But when they look around Fratton Park, they realise how much they love it. They love the rickety stands and the wooden seats and the way the whole place reverberates when a home goal is scored. They love their closeness to the action, as if they were part of the story rather than an impotent audience. They are proud that their team has played at the same ground for 110 years and they suspect that the founding fathers would find their way around that ground today.

They love the un-corporateness of it all, the way it prizes pasties above prawn sandwiches, the fact that it represents a living, wheezing, paintpeeling link with the past. And they know that, while he may have watched his football at the other end of the country, LS Lowry would have recognised a Pompey crowd Going to the Match.

Of course, they had a moment in the sun when the FA Cup was won last spring, but that was at Wembley, and the opposition was Cardiff. This was at home, at Fratton, against AC Milan. And they were two up, and playing like a dream. And so they bellowed their songs, like people who have dreamed all their lives of being able to indulge in such foolishness.

It was all over in those 11 minutes. The music died when Ronaldinho came on to strike that lacerating free-kick and plunge the place into apprehensive silence. Then, at the end of added time, Filippo Inzaghi scored the equaliser off the end of his toe. And there was cursing and fury, even a few tears. But the feeling was fleeting. For they had watched their team command the centre of the stage. They had seen the finest players in the world sweat and scuffle in their attempts to tilt the balance. They had rattled the mighty Rossoneri and gathered memories to endure down the decades. It was a triumph for the old virtues of fidelity and persistence.

It was a reward for all the unrewarding years. It was a day when those of us who follow football clubs of modest resources became honorary Portsmouth fans. And Pompey did us proud.

Patrick Collins (Daily Mail)

Papa Bouba Diop in a tackle with AC Milan midfielder Mathieu Flamini.

(Image by kind permission of www.portsmouthfc.co.uk)

Younes Kaboul converts a pin-point Johnson cross and Pompey lead AC Milan 1-0.
(Image by kind permission of www.portsmouthfc.co.uk)

Portsmouth: James ,Johnson ,Kaboul ,Distin ,Belhadj ,Little (Mvuemba ,66 ) ,Diop ,Hughes ,Armand Traore ,Crouch ,Kanu (Davis ,81)
Subs not used: Ashdown,Hreidarsson,Pamarot,Wilson,

Milan: Dida ,Zambrotta ,Favalli ,Senderos ,Antonelli ,Gattuso (Seedorf ,65 ) ,Emerson ,Flamini ,Kaka (Alexandre Pato ,74 ) ,Inzaghi ,Shevchenko (Ronaldinho ,74)
Subs not used Kalac,Kaladze,Pirlo,Bonera,

Bookings: Hughes (Portsmouth) Antonelli (Milan)

Attendance: 20403

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Premiership '08/09 : HULL CITY (H) 2-2

Sean Davis wrongfoots Hull City midfielder Dean Marney during the Premiership clash.

Peter Crouch heads Pompey into the lead vs Hull City at Fratton Park.

Peter Crouch celebrates after scoring the 22nd minute opening goal.
(Image by kind permission of www.portsmouthfc.co.uk)

Younes Kaboul in a challenge with Hull City's on-loan striker Marlon King.
(Image by kind permission of www.portsmouthfc.co.uk)

Portsmouth: James ,Johnson ,Kaboul ,Distin ,Pamarot ,Diop ,Davis ,Hughes (Nugent ,58 ) ,Belhadj (Armand Traore ,58 ) ,Crouch ,Utaka (Kanu ,74)
Subs not used: Ashdown,Hreidarsson,Mvuemba,Little,

Hull City: Myhill ,McShane ,Turner ,Zayatte ,Ricketts ,Marney (Giannakopoulos ,82 ) ,Ashbee ,Boateng (Halmosi ,72 ) ,Geovanni ,King (Windass ,72 ) ,Cousin
Subs not used Duke,Doyle,Barmby,Garcia,

Bookings: Davis ,Diop (Portsmouth) Windass (Hull City)

Attendance: 20240

Referee: S B Attwell

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Carling Cup 3rd Rd (2008) : CHELSEA (H) 0-4

Younes Kaboul is challenged by Chelsea defender Juliano Belletti.

Kaboul keeps tracks on Chelsea striker Didier Drogba.

Portsmouth: James ,Johnson ,Pamarot ,Distin ,Hreidarsson ,Utaka ,Mvuemba ,Kaboul ,Hughes (Wilson ,80 ) ,Belhadj (Armand Traore ,69 ) ,Crouch (Kanu ,69)
Subs not used: Ashdown,Defoe,Djimi Traore,Little,

Chelsea: Cech ,Ivanovic ,Terry ,Alex ,Bridge ,Belletti ,Ballack (Ferreira ,69 ) ,Lampard (Sinclair ,74 ) ,Kalou ,Malouda ,Drogba (Di Santo ,79)
Subs not used Cudicini,Obi,Mancienne,Stoch,

Bookings: Hreidarsson ,Hughes ,Johnson (Portsmouth) Ballack (Chelsea)

Attendance: 15339

Referee: Steve Bennett (Kent)

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Premiership '08/09 : Everton (a) 3-0

Jermain Defoe celebrates his opening goal at Goodison Park with Armand Traore.

Younes Kaboul clears the danger as Yakubu closes in.

Glen Johnson keeps Everton striker James Vaughan at bay.

Everton midfielder Leon Osman battles with Papa Bouba Diop.

* The 3-0 victory was Pompey's highest-winning margin at Goodison Park since September 1950.

Everton: Howard ,Neville ,Yobo ,Lescott ,Baines ,Arteta ,Rodwell ,Jagielka ,Osman (Baxter ,71 ) ,Yakubu ,Vaughan (Anichebe ,58)
Subs not used: Turner,Jacobsen,Nuno Valente,Kissock,Wallace,

Portsmouth: James ,Johnson ,Kaboul ,Campbell ,Distin ,Diop ,Davis (Mvuemba ,89 ) ,Diarra ,Armand Traore (Hreidarsson ,77 ) ,Crouch ,Defoe (Utaka ,76)
Subs not used Ashdown,Lauren,Sahar,Djimi Traore,

Bookings: Baines (Everton)

Attendance: 34418

Referee: M R Halsey (Lancashire)

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