Revenge they say is sweet and how Erik Huseklepp will have enjoyed yesterday! When Peterborough visited Fratton Park in late September it was the Viking raider who was desperately unlucky to turn the ball past Jamie Ashdown in the final minute to present the Posh with the points.
Yesterday it took him just five minutes to right that wrong with a scrappy goal and then ten minutes from time he put himself in the black with an absolute beauty to seal a comprehensive 3-0 victory. Erik’s goals sandwiched a Jason Pearce header from a corner. Had it not been for some excellent saves from former England U21 stopper Joe Lewis the score could have been doubled.
That however did not worry the travelling army of over 1,500 who sang throughout and the final few minutes turned into one big party. The Vikings used to pillage the coast not far from Peterborough and I doubt they were quite as raucous as this particular army with their Norwegian leader.
The worrying thing for all Pompey fans after this victory is with deadline day on Tuesday how many of the team will have to be sold to ensure the club can survive. This performance will certainly not deter any suitors so with the vultures circling I say to the Blue Army get yer elephant guns out!!
hat win was the 600th Pompey win in second tier football and meant they have now not lost at London Road on their last nine visits in all competitions.
Fratton to TOWIE
You will remember Tom Kilbey who played a couple of games last season before being perhaps controversially released by the club. Well he has at last got a new contract but not in football but on our TV screens!
Series four of ‘The Only Way is Essex` starts this tonight (Sunday January 29th) at 10pm on ITV2. And Tom plays himself and to keep it in the family his sister Cara will also star. Good luck Tom, I must admit though I probably won`t be watching.
I have also just heard that Tom has signed for Pro Duta an Indonesian club.
All together now!
An historic meeting took place this week between Pompey fans, business leaders and politicians with one aim and that is to save OUR club.
How we all need to join together to help the cause. So what can YOU do?
Most important is to register your support on the 12thman website. By signing up you are not committing yourself to anything. You are merely adding your weight to the Fans` Conference/Trust argument that the fans should have a say in the running of the club. You are not as a fan said to me recently agreeing to pay £500 for a share. As I write the number of signatures is now well past 3,000.
Click here to sign on.
And of course you can now display this poster in your window, shop, pub anywhere so that people get the message loud and clear. The must Pack the Park next Saturday – there are plenty of ticket offers available. This is a call to arms for all of the Blue Army, we can do little to influence events unfolding at Fratton Park but supporting the club is our thing and as Pompey fans, No-one does it better.
27th January
Looking at the ‘On this day` on Friday you could only notice that six years is a long time in football. Let`s look at the facts –
27th January 2001 Grimsby away lost 2-1
27th January 2007 Manchester Utd away lost 2-1 –
Same result but what is the difference? The crowd rose from 4,128 to 71,137!
Interestingly Pompey`s last win at Peterborough also came on that day in 1968 in the FA Cup – I was there that day too.
Odds
Did you spot the in the goalscorers for the Crewe v Dagenham and Redbridge game last week? It read Ogogo og!! The unlucky Daggers player was Abu Ogogo.
It’s been a good week for Liverpool and they can look forward to their first visit to the new Wembley – about time we have been there five times!!
Ron Humpston
The club announced the passing of Ron Humpston this week. Sadly they had little information on Ron and simply quoted word for word the biography written many years ago by Roger Holmes.
Toast however have dug a little deeper to give our readers the best possible insight into the goalkeeper who played just nine games but was a vital part of the Championship winning side.
Ron was born in Derby on 14 February 1923 and joined his local club as a junior. However once in the Royal Navy he was based at HMS Excellent on Whale Island and Pompey took the chance to sign in January 1946. He was then to be the number two to the great Ernie Butler and his chances were to be few and far between. His debut was to eventually come on New Year’s Day 1948 at Bramall Lane as Sheffield United were beaten 2-1 with Peter Harris and Jack Froggatt netting. Two days later his Fratton Park debut came in a 3-2 victory over Huddersfield Town – Ike Clarke (2) and Harris the scorers.
Sadly for Ron it was back for the second team the next week and Butler was to play the next one hundred and one consecutive league games which included every game in the two title winning seasons. Ron was patient though and at the start of the 1950/51 season he was rewarded. Butler damaged a finger in pre-season and Bob Jackson immediately put Ron between the posts. Ron was to play the first seven games that term as the Champions made a faltering start to the defence of their hard won crown. Just one win in those games meant that once Ernie was fit he was back in and the next time Butler was injured Maurice Leather was favoured over Humpston.
Ron was to eventually move to Huddersfield in November 1951 and there he played just five times before moving to non-league football and Headington United – who would later become famous as Oxford United. A bit of research showed that of Ron`s appearances at the Manor Ground came in a 5-0 Southern League win over Cheltenham Town where Ron would live his final days. On retirement Ron then took up a coaching career at various clubs and even had a spell at the Czech FA.
While at Pompey Ron lived as most players did close to Fratton Park and his abode was the quaintly named Offside Cottages. Friday night research tells me that his neighbour was full back Phil Rookes.
Ron’s job was the hardest in football being the reserve keeper. He could only play in one position and there is only one place in the team, hence someone had to fill that role through the clubs greatest years. He was therefore the forgotten man of the championship seasons and must always be remembered for that.
Vital Pompey send their condolences to his family and friends.
Questions
How many letters were there on the old Milton End half time scoreboard?
Cala, Joseph
There has been a lot written about a certain Joe Cala and his shady qualifications etc.; so we on Vital have been digging. Now remember the Sun article about Cala using the credentials of an IBM employee. Well we have found that a certain John Joseph Cala works for IBM International and has an MBA. He is based in the US of A.
PUP
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