Portsmouth FC Season 1991–1992. 40 cuttings from an incredible season and *that* FA Cup Semi-Final with Liverpool.
Pompey’s tickertape welcome at Old Trafford in the League Cup before their date later in the season with Liverpool in both a FA Cup Semi-Final and incredibly tense (and desperately unlucky) Semi-Final replay.
Welcome to Part 10 of a long running series entitled “A Meander Through Scrapbook Lane” and here we focus on the 1991/92 League Division Two season for the Blues but with heavy emphasis on their titanic cup battles with the two largest football clubs in England, Manchester United in the League Cup and Liverpool in two incredible FA Cup Semi-Finals.
Disclaimer — All pictures contained within this blog will be almost certainly from the Portsmouth Evening News and Sports Mail as well as wholly contained within some loved, if dusty, scrapbooks of over 30 year vintage and placed here purely for enjoyment purposes and I hope that this disclaimer meets everyone’s needs. If not, thank you www.portsmouth.co.uk for entertaining this Pritt Stick and scissors wielding young child/spotty teen/tall and gangly late teenager and young adult who should’ve stopped ripping and cutting up newspapers long before he hung up his scissors!
Disclaimer II — This is far from a fully comprehensive review of the season and purely the contents and selected pages from my earliest scrapbooks. I am also a Liverpool fan born of a Manchester United supporting Mother who was born and raised in Portsmouth.
I was nicknamed by my Liverpool match going pal as “The Cutter” in reference to an Echo and the Bunnymen song and so hence, here are my cuttings.
Disclaimer III — As a cursory glance at any of my blogs will confirm, I write a lot. Here, not so. Pictures speak a thousand words apparently and from the annals of my childhood scrapbooks I think they sound strikingly eloquent on their own and with only minimal intrusion or commentary from me.
So I hope these scraps from my books jog a memory of the match concerned or the era, the city in general or your life at that time.
Human memories are a precious commodity. I hope you enjoy.
Much loved and revered Blues Manager Jim Smith is given the Bob Hoare caricature treatment and splits an opening day 1–1 draw away at Blackburn Rovers on the left and a 1–0 win at home to Sunderland, August into early September 1991.
Manchester United (3) Portsmouth (1), League Cup 3rd Round, 30th October 1991. Attendance 29,543
A battling performance that troubled their famed opponents for long periods, but the Blues depart from the League Cup 3–1 to Manchester United, 30th October 1991.
To celebrate the return of striker Guy Whittingham, Bob Hoare characterises him brilliantly as ever as the Blues put their Cup woes behind them with a four game unbeaten run that culminates in a 3–2 away win at Swindon Town. 19 year old Andy Awford is already being tipped as football’s next “hottest property” after an assured display at Old Trafford.
4 points either side of Christmas and New Year as the Blues blow away Middlesbrough 4–0 in front of 13,344 and a David Speedie inspired Blackburn Rovers hold the Blues to a 2–2 draw in front of over 20,000 at Fratton Park.
L to R: More action from the 2–2 draw with Blackburn Rovers and a 2–0 victory over Leyton Orient in the 4th Round of the FA Cup. The Blues were looking towards Wembley once again.
Portsmouth (2) Leyton Orient (0), 25th January 1992. The Blues march on into the 5th Round of the FA Cup.
Middlesbrough (2) Portsmouth (4), FA Cup 5th Round Replay, 26th February 1992. Attendance 19,479.
More celebrations from the astonishing 4–2 win at Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough and the 2–0 league win over Tranmere Rovers that followed. The Blues were in the Quarter Finals of the FA Cup and handily placed in the League should they be able to achieve league wins on the back of their cup success.
All the build up to arguably the biggest game in the Blues history for 8/9 years if not longer.
Portsmouth (1) Nottingham Forest (0), 7th March 1992. A heaving Fratton Park celebrates the Blues making the Semi-Finals of the FA Cup and the traditional Sports Mail figure of the “Pompey Sailor” looks rather pleased!
More reaction from another incredible storied afternoon at Fratton Park as Jim Smith’s boys send Brian Clough and a team of stars packing and out of the FA Cup.
More after match celebrations after defeating Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup Quarter Finals. The draw for the Semi Final pairs the Blues with the Reds of Liverpool.
Tabloid speculation links Blues star Darren Anderton with a move to Liverpool while the Blues hit Millwall for six in a 6–1 home win on 14th March 1992 in front of a Fratton Park crowd of 14,944.
Oxford United (2) Portsmouth (1), 21st March 1992 and the Blues promotion chase falters again.
Portsmouth (1) Liverpool (1), 5th April 1992. FA Cup Semi-Final at Highbury. Attendance 41,869.
Darren Anderton opens the scoring with just 9 minutes left of extra time before Ronnie Whelan equalised 5 minutes later to force a Semi-Final replay.
All the colour and carnival of an English FA Cup Semi-Final, 5th April 1992.
Cue John Motson’s iconic commentary: “It’s Anderton! A real chance for Pompey. Anderton. IT’S THERE! Portsmouth are in the lead in the Semi-Final!”
Cue John Motson’s iconic commentary again: “Barnes here, is the man they’ll be frightened of. Oh it’s gone in!. It’s been followed in. RONNIE WHELAN!”.
Portsmouth (1) Liverpool (1), 5th April 1992. FA Cup Semi-Final at Highbury. Attendance 41,869.
Portsmouth (0) Liverpool (0), FA Cup Semi-Final Replay at Villa Park. Liverpool win 3–1 on Penalties. 13th April 1992. Attendance 40,077.
Tears amongst the Tickertape. My hometown team were incredibly unlucky against my favoured Reds team of Liverpool. Thus is sport.
The Reds book their place and ultimately the trophy itself, in the FA Cup Final in May.
The local reaction at home on the South Coast to a heart breaking night in the Midlands.
Portsmouth (0) Liverpool (0), FA Cup Semi-Final Replay at Villa Park. Liverpool win 3–1 on Penalties. 13th April 1992. Attendance 40,077. My experience of this game can be easily and briefly encapsulated in: HUGE delays on the A34 heading towards the Midlands, arrived late, eventually made it into the ground 15 minutes into the game, saw virtually nothing (no idea McLoughlin hit the bar with a couple of minutes to go) and only really saw the Penalty Shoot Out as it was held at the opposite end of Villa Park! Found the car miles away from the ground and rode home in a car full of quiet Blues with raw mixed feelings. Thus is sport.
Two league draws in the space of five April days with Cambridge United (2–2) and Watford (0–0) and the Blues promotion hopes fall away again.
Brighton and Hove Albion (2) Portsmouth (1), 29th April 1992 and with only two wins in their previous eight league games, the Blues limp into 9th place in the League and 9 points away from the promotion spots. An incredible season ends so disappointingly.
I sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed this ramble through the 1991/1992 season (despite the FA Cup heart break) and if you’ve been entertained or had a memory tweaked, raised a smile or even perhaps enjoyed yourself, please consider these other recently published trips down “Scrapbook Lane”. Every season covered from 1982/83 to 1990/91:
