Portsmouth - Live

Portsmouth Live

Nicknamed Pompey, Portsmouth Football Club was founded on April 5, 1898 at 12 High St., Old Portsmouth with John Brickwood as chairman. Football in Portsmouth was very popular among the sailors and dockers from the 1850's and on. Many people believe the club's first goalkeeper was the renowned Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In actuality, the club's first goalkeeper was Matt Reilly who had played for the Royal Artillery team. Since 1898 Portsmouth have played all their home matches at Fratton Park.

On September 2 in 1899, the club's first league match was played at Chatham Town with a 1-0 victory. Playing against bitter rivals Southampton, at Fratton Park three days later, the club won 2-0. With a very successful first season winning 20 out of 28 league matches, Portsmouth Football Club earned a runners-up spot in the Southern League. After the end of the football suspension due to World War 2, the club won the Southern League for a second time landing them in the Second Division for 1920-21 season.

Portsmouth reached the FA Cup final for the first time after their debut season in First Division losing to the Bolton Wanderers. With the 1930-31 season, the club saw good luck finishing fourth. The Portsmouth Football Club had the honour of keeping the FA Cup for the longest uninterrupted period of time until 1946-47.

The Golden Jubilee season, in 1948-49, brought the club the honour of being the first team to win the FA Cup double and Football League in the 20th century. Still unbroken today, the 1948-49 season also saw a record attendance of 51,385 fans.

In 1961 the club went down to Third Division and then promoted back to Second Division with the help of George Smith. Portsmouth's second division status remained intact, despite limited financial means, throughout the sixties. The seventies and eighties brought debt and notorious football hooliganism for the club. Despite some bad luck in decades past, Portsmouth saw great success in the 2002-03 season with three home wins against Manchester United.

On May 27, 2009, Sulaiman Al-Fahim signed a deal to take over Portsmouth Football Club, reported by Arabian Business. Forever beloved by fans, the club's home ground is nicknamed 'Fortress Fratton'.

Portsmouth instills a devotion in their fans that is rarely seen amongst other groups of supporters (maybe only Newcastle?) It's such a shame then that after 4 owners in 1 season the club our due to go in to administration on Friday the 26th of February 2010, the first English Premier League club ever to go under. The 9 point automatic point deduction will also almost certainly see them relegated.