Vital Pompey posed this simple, front page article – which could also be seen in the forum, question to the readers on Friday: ‘what will Wembley mean to you?’
For more information click here.
A number of people have shared their thoughts, and continue to do so with these ranging from ‘comical’ responses to ‘deep and meaningful’ or ‘heartfelt’ reactions.
These, below, are the responses from the forum to this front page article…
PLAY UP POMPEY!
PFC-Jono: ‘Wembley will mean so much to all connected to Pompey the fans, the players, the backroom staff and myself etc. We haven’t had the best of seasons, but I believe this trip to Wembley has now changed all of this. This trip to Wembley has turned this season into a year which will be remember for all the right reasons because as fans we’ve shown that we will support the club even in dire situations like we have had this year. I feel this trip to Wembley is a reward the vast amount of support we have given the team this year.
Play Up Pompey.’
PompeyFrippy: ‘It has to be a short one, as I have a plane to catch shortly.
Wembley has been my saviour of by far the worst season I’ve had to endure as a Pompey fan. I think that if this was the first time we had made it this far it wouldn’t be so special, it would be exciting and a fantastic experience, but not as much as this time.
Don’t get me wrong, Sunday will bring excitement and a fantastic experience, but I know that for sure this time. Being there before and having the best time of my life (no exaggeration) I KNOW what I’m in for, the stepping off the train at Waterloo with hundreds of other fans all chanting, with echoes fantastically reverberating around the acoustic station, the Tube ride to the match, with similar chanting, but this time in a very enclosed environment, and the one person on the tube who isn’t part of the group awkwardly looking down and wishing the journey would end. The stepping out of Wembley Park station and seeing the stadium, bathed in sunshine, less than a mile in the distance, down the glorious looking Wembley Way at this point with a few scatterings of fans. The pre-match drinks that also come with a side order of chanting, this atmosphere has been around for coming on 4 hours and the match hasn’t even started yet.
That walk down Wembley way just doesn’t seem long enough, every step brings you closer and closer to our national stadium, and with sporadic chants ringing round the crowds that have now amassed around the stadium, a quick glance back sees nothing but a sea of people, some waving flags, some with painted faces, and some trying to force down a last beer before going into the ground.
Once in the ground finding your way through the concourse of escalators, never seems to be a problem, and stepping past that one security guard into the seating area simply takes your breath away. It doesn’t seem right to wander through, look at your ticket and find your seat, first you must take a deep breath and let your eyes wander 360 degrees around this amazing spectacle of human engineering.
And that’s all before the game starts! What happens after that is up to the 11 men who will fight with everything they’ve got to make the day even more special. But I’m sure either way there’ll be more chanting in this time.
Maybe not too short after all, you roped me in yet again Rug! And now to catch my flight.’
mslorna48: ‘Supporting Pompey over many years, you come to understand that it is about 75% misery, 25% happiness, so when the chance for a spell of happiness comes along, you take it with both hands, after years of misery this is the 4th and most unlikely visit to the new Wembley in less than 2 years. Who knows when the next good spell will come along, so grab the glory and the uptime while you can.’
hammersmithblue: ‘I missed semi and final in 2008 and gave my charity shield ticket to my dad who was over from Malta. So I’ve never seen them at Wembley. This time round the fixture comes at a bad time for me as my dad is seriously ill with incurable cancer and may not even be up to watching on telly there. For me going to FP is all bound up with going with my dad as a nipper and indeed the last time I saw him was at FP when we’d just beaten Burnley. He had a big grin on his face and was waving his scarf around his head! When I went to Blackburn game last week I was really aware that I’d never go to a match with him again- it’s another line drawn under the past.
Therefore Wembley is all about me and my dad as it used to be. Do it for Fred, boys!’
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