Here are some of the pictures I took at The City Ground, Nottingham (above), Pompey's last match of the 2011-12 season.
The match itself wasn't the greatest footballing spectacle but this day was all about the Pompey fans.
The on-pitch action, or lack of it, was almost a side issue but perhaps not a surprise with both Jason Pearce and Greg Halford left out of the starting line-up presumably to protect them both from an injury that could scupper a sale to another club.
There was no Dave Kitson, Benjani, Kanu or Tal Ben Haim either and the bench with Marko Futacs aside had the look and feel of a youth team about it (Sam Magri, Adam Webster, Jed Wallace and Grant).
On the plus side on loan Manchester City starlet Karim Rekik, playing at centre back, Joel Ward playing at left back and Scott Allan on loan from WBA, playing on the right side of midfield, all had reasonably good games.
With relegation from The Championship confirmed combined with all the continued uncertainty surrounding the football club you might have expected a subdued atmosphere, far from it. There was a real party atmosphere amongst the travelling faithful with many fans in fancy dress.
Tickertape welcome, note one of the two nuns who were stood in front of me!
Prior to each half starting the tannoy played Mull Of Kintyre by Wings with the home fans singing and holding their scarves above their heads. It's Forest's equivalent to "High-ho Wolverhampton!" or Stoke City's "Delilah!". The classic 1970s hit from Sir Paul McCartney's band wasn't the only music piped in to the stadium.
A day for celebrating whatever the outcome, it didn't seem to matter who scored
No one does irony like Pompey fans. Each of the Nottingham Forest goals, both of which came in the second half through Dextor Blackstock who received plenty of verbal abuse for his Southampton connection, were celebrated in equal measure by both Pompey and Forest fans as the tannoy blasted out Chelsea Dagger by The Fratellis. Pompey fans greeted each goal with chants of: "Easy! Easy! Easy!".
Pompey fans dance and 'celebrate' Nottingham Forest scoring, well most of them anyway!
A day for singing
There was some good vocal banter between the two sets of fans.
Pompey: "We're all going on a League One Tour, a League One Tour, a League One Tour!"
Pompey: "Que sera, sera. Whatever will be will be. We're going to Shrewsbury! Que ser sera."
Pompey: "You've got Steve Cotterill! You've got Steve Cotterill! You've got Steve Cotterill! You've got Steve Cotterill!"
Forest: "Stevie, give us a wave, Stevie, Stevie, give us a wave!"
Pompey (picking up the chant from Forest's visit to Fratton Park earlier in the season): "Your taxi's outside, your taxi's outside! Stevie Cotterill, your taxi's outside!"
Pompey: "It's only one nil, it's only one nil! How sh*t must you be? It's only one nil!"
Forest: "We're winning at home! We're winning at home! How sh*t must you be? We're winning at home!"
Pompey: "We are going down...we are going down!"
Pompey: "There's only two of you singing, two of you singing, there's only two of you singing!" quickly followed by "There's only one of you singing, one of you singing, there's only one of you singing!" in turn followed by "There's none of you singing, none of you singing, there's none of you singing!"
'Lost Footballs'
If you are a regular follower of this blog then you will know just how 'excited' I was (Lol, the little things, eh?!) each time the ball ended up in amongst the away fans. The ball was thrown about time and again amongst the fans. Anyone who threw it back on to the pitch was rewarded with a chorus of: "Sc*mmer! Sc*mmer! Sc*mmer!" be they Pompey fan or steward. All in good jest of course.
Lost Football I/II
Even Scooby is looking!
Lost Football II/II
Pompey fans in fancy dress
I'm not sure when this 'tradition' of last away game of the season started - was it The Baggies? Anyway, it adds a whole lot of colour and fun to the day. Last year at Scunthorpe United was good but this year definitely topped it IMHO. Enjoy...who knows, you may even spot yourself.
Men in tights I/II
Pompey Superheroes, I took this before the game.
Men in tights II/II
Pompey Gents in Lincoln Green plus a Friar, I took this after the game. I'm not sure which one was Robin Hood.As you can imagine the scenes inside were something else, but no pictures of that - just use your imagination, lol.
A Pompey sailor walks by two fans checking out something on a smartphone.
I kept seeing this chap everywhere! Even at the Northampton (A43) Services on the way back down the M1!
One of at least two Scooby Doos who made it to the game.
It's very funny looking across a sea of spectators and every now and then seeing Scooby's cartoon grin - "Dawg? What dawg?" (you need to say it with the voice).
Ah yes, it's @Pompey_1Love to use her Twitter ID.
This is Sam with undoubtedly the best fancy dress of the day and perhaps ever! Absolutely brilliant!
Another picture of the Pompey sailor and another Pompey fan who came dressed as a shopper (or was the bag full of tickertape?).
A Pompey fan has his 'come to Elvis' moment as The King takes a picture from the front of the stand.
A mother and daughter in Irish themed attire.
I wonder what happened to that beach ball once it had been inflated?
Oh dear...
the City Ground staff were in action at half time piercing inflatables with relish (actually with their pitch forks but you know what I mean).
Pompey fans in Hawaiian hula hula attire.
It was a bit parky for that to be honest, especially during the walk alongside the River Trent, but who cares?! It was party time!
The Lincoln green attired Pompey fans in their seats.
They made quite a sight all sat together and really stood out after the game as well on the walk back to the cars and in to town alongside all the Forest fans in their red shirts.
See what I mean?
As a sensible precaution two Pompey surgeons were on hand in case an emergency operation was required.
Some classic Pompey fan humour - Portsmouth Football Club will need some major surgery during the Summer months despite seemingly being in the Emergency Room since late 2011.
A Pompey fan in a blue morph suit makes a call with Hawaiian shirted fans in the foreground.
Two Russian sailors.
Pompey flag day
There were plenty of flags and banners on display at the City Ground.
The Pompey flag is passed over the heads of the fans including those in Lincoln Green.
One of the Russian sailors conducts the Forest fans.
Flag I/III.
Flag II/III.
Flag III/III.
The final word...
...goes to the fan in the morph suit whose Pompey shirt had a fitting summary of Pompey's last ten years written on the back.
