Portsmouth’ manager reflected on significant events from their League One-winning season, stressing the club’s strong relationship with its fans.
John Mousinho, fresh after hoisting the League One title in front of thousands of Pompey fans on Southsea Common, spoke about how the fans’ support kept his squad going during the season’s toughest moments. While everyone is looking ahead to next season and preparing for Pompey’s return to the Championship, the manager had the opportunity to reflect on the season and its major events.
Mousinho stated, It’s been great. The entire season has been wonderful; from the first game, when we scored a late equaliser against Bristol Rovers, we never looked back.
Off the pitch, one game stood out in particular. He remarked, “We had a difficult period around Christmas, but everyone persevered with us. The game that truly stands out in my mind is when we lost 4-0 at home to Blackpool because the fans kept going.
They had a really fascinating song about being 4–0 down, which we simply loved. That sort of energy has sustained us throughout. You cannot achieve anything as a team or as a group of fans; you must work together.
There were many memorable games this season, none more so than the promotion and title-winning victory over Barnsley at home on April 16, which spurred riotous celebrations. Aside from that encounter, Mousinho identified two games in which he recognised what this team could achieve.
Mousinho stated: “The Barnsley game away from home (September 19), we had a relatively easy August on paper, but we hadn’t taken a lot of points. September looked exceedingly difficult; we began with a draw at Derby and then blew Barnsley away, scoring three goals.
The other game was when we defeated Peterborough away (March 16). I thought, okay, we’ve arrived, and this is our season, our chance to win the league.
Arguably, the squad and its supporters have never been closer after an amazing season that ended a 12-year wait for Championship football. The Pompey manager wished to thank the fans for their support throughout the season. He said, “Thank you, fans. I understand what it takes to support a football club; it is a pricey and emotionally draining activity. It’s not easy being a supporter of any football club, let alone Portsmouth; they’ve been fantastic, and we hope they had a good day.
