Portsmouth
Formed 1898
Founder member of Division Three 1920
Kit History
1898-1909 a
1909-1911 a
1911-1915 a
1921-1922 a
1924-1925 a
1926-1931 a
1936-1937 a
1937-1938 a
1938-1947 a
1947-1953 a
1954-1955 a
1955-1956a a
1958-1960 a
1960-1961 l
1963-1967 a
1967-1972 a g
1972-1973 a
1973-1976 a g j
1976-1977 j
1977-1978 a j
1978-1979 b k
1980-1982 f
1982-1983 a
1983-1985 a f
1985-1987 e g
1987-1988 f g
1988-1989 a f
1989-1991 f
1991-1993 c
1993-1995 c
1995-1997 c i
1997-1999 c
1999-2000 c
2000-2002 c
2002-2003 c
2003-2005 d i
2005-2006 d
2006-2007 h
2007-2008 d
Background
In 1898 Royal Artillery FC was forced to disband after breaching the strict rules on amateurism of the period. The Army club attracted considerable support and had reached the First Division of the Southern League. To preserve first class football in the town, five prominent local sportsmen and businessmen formed Portsmouth FC who wore distinctive pink shirts with maroon trim until 1909, when plain white shirts were adopted. The new club was immediately admitted to the Southern League First Division, finishing as runners-up. In 1902, "Pompey" were Southern League champions. In 1911 a severe financial crisis struck and the club was wound up. A new limited company was formed and the club was saved after substantial guarantees were offered to the club's bankers by the new board of directors. The now traditional plain blue shirts and white shorts were adopted by the new club.
In 1920 the First Division of the Southern League was incorporated into the Football League as the Third Division and Portsmouth duly took their place. Their manager, John McCartney, had predicted promotion within three seasons and sure enough, in 1924 the club won the Third Division (South) title. On the last day of the 1926-27 season a late goal allowed Portsmouth to pip Manchester City for promotion to the First Division on goal average by 0.02 of a goal. This was the first time that a Third Division club had reached the top level. After two seasons fighting relegation, Portsmouth began to establish themselves, reaching the FA Cup final in 1929 and 1934. In 1939, Portsmouth met a strong Wolves side in their third FA Cup final as rank outsiders but this time they won by 4-1.
During the Second World War Portsmouth put out strong sides because of the many sailors and soldiers stationed in the port who had been professional footballers in peacetime. It was in recognition of the club's association with the armed forces that the distinctive red stockings were adopted in 1947. In the immediate post-war period, Pompey were a formidable side and won the First Division championship in 1949, their jubilee season, and in 1950.
Failure to find replacements for aging players led to gentle decline throughout the 1950s culminating in a series of disastrous seasons that took the club all the way down to Division Three in 1961. Although they won promotion at the first attempt, Pompey spent the next 13 years in mid-table obscurity in Division Two. The mid Seventies brought fresh crisis as Portsmouth slipped into Division Four in 1978. Two years later the club often referred to as the "sleeping giant on the South Coast" began the slow climb back up the League, winning promotion in 1980 and again in 1983 (this time as Third Division champions) and finally, in 1987, Pompey returned to the First Division, albeit briefly - they were relegated back to Division Two in 1988.
In 1992 Portsmouth reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup and the following season they reached the play-offs. It not until 2003, however, that the club regained its place at the top, winning the Nationwide Division One title and earning promotion to the Premier League.
Sources
- (a) Pompey, A Family Passion fansite with an excellent archive of historical photographs
- (b) Crewe Alexandra FC (Images of Sport)
- (c) empics
- (d) Portsmouth Official Website
- (e) Football Focus
- (f) True Colours (John Devlin 2005)
- (g) Pete's Picture Palace
- (h) Tom Darbyshire
- (i) David King
- (j) Alick Milne
- (k) Christopher Worrall
- (l) Simon Monks