Portsmouth FC Season 1993–1994. Over 40 cuttings from another impressive early push for promotion before a mid and end of season collapse.
A 2–0 away defeat to Stoke City and promotion hopes begin to fade for the season of 1993/94.
Welcome to Part 12 of a long running series entitled “A Meander Through Scrapbook Lane” and here we focus on the 1993/94 League Division Two season and ultimate heartache for the Blues as another season of such promise and such stylish football ends just short of a play off place for promotion. After such a promising start and spell of the season until early November, the Blues fell away badly before finishing in a lowly 17th place in League Division 2.
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.
Oxford United (3) Portsmouth (2), opening day of the 1993/1994 season. The portents did not look good for the season ahead.
L to R: A second consecutive league defeat, this time at home to Charlton Athletic with new signing Lee Chapman seeing red and finally a first win of the season at home to Luton Town on 21st August.
Crystal Palace (5) Portsmouth (1), 28th August 1993. The early season month of August still has one game remaining and the Blues have already lost 3 games out of 5 and have just 1 league win to their credit.
Portsmouth (3) Stoke City (3), 4th September 1993. Attendance at Fratton Park 12,552.
11th to 18th September 1993 and striker John Durnin is front and centre with a crucial goal to save a point in a 1–1 draw away to Wolves and then sent off a week later as the Blues finally seal a further win this season as they defeat Southend United with a late goal from Daryl Powell.
Nottingham Forest (1) Portsmouth (1), 2nd October 1993. Attendance at the City Ground 20,727.
Peterborough United (2) Portsmouth (2), 9th October 1993. Attendance 6,538.
A third consecutive draw away from Fratton Park as the Blues draw on the road again, this time 1–1 at Notts County on 23rd October 1993.
L to R: Much needed wins in the last week of October as the Blues beat Premiership new boys Swindon Town in the 2nd Round of the League Cup before a league victory at Fratton Park in front of 12,462 against Tranmere Rovers.
Headlines! Headlines! Headlines! 6th to 20th November 1993 and three consecutive wins, a 3–0 home win against Cosenza in the Anglo Italian Cup in front of just 2,961 spectators at Fratton Park (middle) and flanked by two great wins on the road at Sunderland (2–1) and Birmingham City (1–0).
Late November into the first week of December but it’s two league defeats in a row, a 4–1 reversal at the Hawthorns to West Bromwich Albion and a 1–0 defeat at Fratton Park a week later to Sunderland.
6 successful days leading up to the busy Christmas fixture schedule as the Blues win 1–0 away at Charlton Athletic, draw 1–1 at home to Oxford United and crucially defeat Peterborough 1–0 in the Coca-Cola/League Cup, setting up yet another League Cup tussle with Premiership giants Manchester United.
Portsmouth (0) Bolton Wanderers (0), 28th December 1993 in front of a festive crowd at Fratton Park of 14,276.
Alan McLoughlin (RIP) with a hat-trick against Premiership Blackburn Rovers in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup and forcing a replay in a stunning 3–3 draw.
Manchester United (2) Portsmouth (2), League Cup Quarter Final at Old Trafford, 12th January 1994. Another stunning cup result for the Blues and into the New Year they remain in contention in both domestic cup competitions but are fading badly in the League.
Derby County (1) Portsmouth (0), 15th January 1994.
Ex Southampton striker Alan Shearer returns to haunt the Blues for Blackburn Rovers and dump Pompey out of the FA Cup in a 3–1 defeat in a replay attended by 23,035 under the Fratton Park floodlights.
and just 7 days later, despite a huge Fratton Park crowd of 24,950, the Blues are knocked out of the League Cup in a replay by Manchester United. The “Red Devils” would reach the final this season but be defeated in a shock Wembley final 3–1 by Aston Villa.
February 1994 was a month to forget for the Blues as they only managed to pick up 4 points from a possible 15 in the League and are again falling like a stone and staring a relegation battle to stay in the Division.
Star striker Paul Walsh is set to join Manchester City and flanked by one of the many reasons he probably felt the need to leave (though publicly saying he didn’t wish to), the Blues are struggling and two consecutive defeats in early March (Crystal Palace 1–0 and Southend United 2–1) condemn Pompey to sliding further down the League and into relegation woes.
A week that saved the Blues season as they enter April with 7 points from a possible 9 after wins against Nottingham Forest, Leicester City and a 2–2 with fierce rivals Millwall.
The headlines talk up a possible last dash for a play off spot after 2 wins in a week in late April against Barnsley (2–1) and Middlesbrough (2–0) but the Blues lose their last four games of the season without scoring a single goal and the dream of promotion was over for another season.
Defeats to Birmingham City (Left) and West Bromwich Albion (Right) sandwich further defeats to Leicester City and Watford (both 1–0) and the Blues limp into a final disappointing league placing of 17th. Popular midfielder Alan McLoughlin is pictured receiving his “Player of the Season” trophy.
Paul Walsh returns to play in a Blue shirt for Alan Knight’s thoroughly deserved testimonial game against South Coast rivals Southampton.
I sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed this ramble down “Scrapbook Lane” and if indeed you have, please do consider the previous volumes recently released:
