A meander through Scrapbook Lane: Part 9

Portsmouth FC Season 1990–1991 and amid league frailties and another failed push for promotion, Gazza comes to Fratton Park.

Portsmouth FC Season 1990–1991 and amid league frailties and another failed push for promotion, Gazza comes to Fratton Park.

Guy Whittingham fast becoming a local hero, a top goal scorer and a very hot property. Season 1990/91.

Welcome to Part 9 of a running series entitled “A Meander Through Scrapbook Lane” and here we focus on the 1990/91 League Division Two season for the Blues and another stop/start season sees a certain Paul Gascoigne light up Fratton Park in the FA Cup in an otherwise frustrating season on the South Coast with the Blues finishing in a lowly 17th in the League and only 3 points above the relegation zone.

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.

Portsmouth (1) West Bromwich Albion (1), opening game of the season on 25th August 1990. Attendance 12,008.

Guy Whittingham again in the 1–1 draw at West Ham United and a first League defeat of the season at Boundary Park, Oldham. August into September 1990. Plus a Liverpool cutting of another John Barnes wonder goal! Sorry!

First League defeat of the season and the loss of star striker Guy Whittingham, 1st September 1990.

Portsmouth (2) Port Vale (4), 8th September 1990. Attendance at Fratton Park 8,835.

New Blues Colin Clarke and Steve Wigley ingratiating their way into Pompey affections with goals at Fratton Park in a 3–2 win over Blackburn Rovers at the end of September 1990.

Cardiff (1) Portsmouth (1) in the now named “Rumbelows Cup” (League Cup) on 25th September.

Portsmouth (3) Plymouth Argyle (1), 29th September 1990. Attendance at Fratton Park just 8,639.

Portsmouth (0) Barnsley (0), 13th October 1990. Attendance at Fratton Park 8,701.

L to R: Two crucial October wins in 4 days, a 3–1 defeat of Leicester City and a 1–0 away win at Watford.

L to R: A much needed away at Bristol Rovers at the end of October and a 3–0 defeat at Swindon Town on 10th November. The Blues would now go on a 13 game winless run until New Years Day 1991.

Portsmouth (0) Middlesbrough (3), 17th November 1990. Attendance at Fratton Park 8,433.

8th December through to Boxing Day, 1990. 3 Games. 1 Point. And the winless run continues until a change of fortune in the New Year.

Barnet (0) Portsmouth (5), FA Cup 3rd Round, 5th January 1991.

L to R: Defeat for the Blues at Vale Park in January and a disputed last minute penalty denies them a win at Ewood Park, Blackburn in early February.

Portsmouth (1) Tottenham Hotspur (2), 16th February 1991. FA Cup 4th Round at Fratton Park. Attendance 26,049.

16th February 1991 and my 19th Birthday. I didn’t attend this game and have no idea where I spent my Birthday but I do recall watching the FA Cup Final (Tottenham would eventually lift the trophy at Wembley) in a caravan on the beautiful Isle of Wight on a hot Summer Saturday in May. What a time capsule this is! Fratton Park bulging to it’s old rafters, tickertape, two iconic footballing strips and Mr Paul Gascoigne at the very height of his sporting powers.

A returning Micky Quinn and a leaver from Fratton Park with all 3 points as his Newcastle United team won 1–0 on 23rd March 1991 in front of an attendance of just 9,601.

Portsmouth (2) Sheffield Wednesday (0), 6th April 1991. Attendance 10,390. The Blues would register a further 9 points from a possible 18 to finish the season in 17th place but only 3 points safe from relegation.

I sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed this Paul Gascoigne inspired trip down “Scrapbook Lane” and if so, please do consider the multitude of other trips down memory lane (1982/83 to 1989/90) recently published and linked below:

A meander through Scrapbook Lane: Part I
Portsmouth FC Season 1982–83 and the winning of the Division 3 Championshipmedium.com

A meander through Scrapbook Lane: Part 2
Portsmouth FC Season 1983–1984 and *that* FA Cup Tie in front of 36,000 at Fratton Park and the 90 seconds that changed…medium.com

A meander through Scrapbook Lane: Part 3
Portsmouth FC Season 1984–1985 and Alan Ball’s Blues come tantalisingly close to a return to Division 1.medium.com

A meander through Scrapbook Lane: Part 4
Portsmouth FC Season 1985–86. The arrival of famed striker Mick Channon and the titanic cup ties with Tottenham, Aston…medium.com

A meander through Scrapbook Lane: Part 5
Portsmouth FC Season 1986–1987 and Vince Hilaire has the last laugh as the Blues finally reach the promised land of the…medium.com

A meander through Scrapbook Lane: Part 6
Portsmouth FC Season 1987–1988 and despite taking a precious 4 points from their neighbours Southampton, the Blues are…medium.com

A meander through Scrapbook Lane: Part 7
Portsmouth FC Season 1988–1989 and as Fratton Park gets a facelift the Blues narrowly avoid a second consecutive…medium.com

A meander through Scrapbook Lane: Part 8
Portsmouth FC Season 1989–1990 and another season of struggle for the Blues on and off the field.medium.com

The Pompey Sailor says thanks for reading and he hopes you enjoyed the pictorial journey! Picture courtesy of www.portsmouth.co.uk