Today's hat is white with yellow flecks in it and a weird beeded 'bobble' that makes it look more like a rattle snake than anything else. Obviously, it represents four small footballs!
Ok...so where are we going with this today? Well, not very far unfortunately. Yellow flecks made me think of Robert Fleck who played for Norwich City who of course play in yellow...and green. Ummm. That train of thought was cut short quickly.
I seem to recall a team wearing white shirts and yellow shorts in the 1970s, but I couldn't tell you which team it was. Leeds United? Derby County? Or was that yellow shirts and white shorts? Or yellow shirts and blue shorts? Oh dear, another dead end.
Having scoured my books I can't find a team that played in white shirts and yellow shorts, so I must have imagined that.
This is as close as I can get: Leeds United played in all white but in the mid-1970s the club badge was...yellow! A very tenuous link today!
Pompey play at Elland Road this season during the Festive holiday season, on the 28th of December. It's not a ground I've been to unfortunately but I did drive past it once when I was in the city...and lost. The big, main stand is awesome.
The last time Pompey played Leeds United away there was a lot riding on the game with both teams in trouble at the wrong end of the table. It was live on TV, Sunday lunchtime I think, and a large number of Pompey fans had made the trip. Pompey came away victorious and survived in the Premiership, Leeds United were eventually relegated. This season both teams are looking upwards rather than downwards; it should be a good game and a cracking atmosphere. The Leeds fans always turnout in big numbers at Elland Road over the Festive period.
I think the 'real challenge' of the day is to identify Pompey players who have scored four goals in a game in recognition of the four beads on the 'rattlesnake hat'. And here they are (including two players who also scored five!):
Alf Strange scored five in the 1922-23 season against Gillingham (H) on January 27th in Division 3 South. Pompey won 6-1.
Harry Havelock scored four in the 1925-26 season against Nottingham Forest (H) on March 20th in Division 2. Pompey won 5-1.
Billy Haines scored four in the 1926-27 season against Preston North End (H) on May 7th in Division 2. Pompey won 5-1.
Peter Harris scored four in the 1954-55 season against Sheffield United (H) on October 9th in Division 1. Pompey won 6-2.
Peter Harris (again!) scored five in the 1958-59 season against Aston Villa (H) on September 3rd in Division 1. Pompey won 5-2.
Harry Middleton scored four in the 1961-62 season against Derby County (A) in the Football League Cup 2nd Round Replay. Pompey won 4-2.
Ray Hiron scored four in the 1968-69 season against Norwich City (H) on April 12th in Division 2. Pompey won 5-2.
Guy Whittingham scored four in the 1990-91 season against AFC Bournemouth (H) on January 26th in the FA Cup 4th Round. Pompey won 5-1. I was at that game!
Guy Whittingham (again!) scored four in the 1992-93 season against Bristol Rovers (H) on December 26th in Division 1 (old Division 2). Pompey won 4-1.
Yakubu Aiyegbeni scored four in the 2003-04 season against Middlesbro (H) on May 15th in The Premiership (Premier League). Pompey won 5-1. I was at that game too!
Sources
Pompey The History of Portsmouth Football Club by Mike Neasom, Mick Cooper and Doug Robinson
Pompey Players 1920-2001 The Official Guide to all Portsmouth's Football League Players by Roger Holmes
BlueThruAndThru
