Portsmouth had achieved promotion to the Premier League in 2002-03 under the guidance of Harry Redknapp and Jim ‘The Bald Eagle’ Smith with a squad that boasted the likes of Shaka Hislop, Tim Sherwood and Paul Merson, as well as the goal machine Svetoslav Todorov.
Five years later, after Redknapp had jumped to bitter rivals Southampton and back again, Pompey was lifting the FA Cup after beating Cardiff City thanks to a Kanu goal. Portsmouth had England number one David James in goal, 73-cap England defender Sol Campbell at the heart of the defence and goal machine Jermaine Defoe up top.
Fast forward 10 years from the promotion and five from FA Cup glory and Pompey found themselves dropping into the bottom tier of English football. Here, I take a look at the 11 players who made the most appearances for the club during their League One relegation season.
Goalkeeper
Simon Eastwood
The man between the sticks for Portsmouth on 27 occasions that season was the then 23-year-old Simon Eastwood. Luton-born Eastwood is still playing at Oxford United and has amassed over 350 career appearances for the likes of Blackburn, Bradford and, of course, Portsmouth.
Eastwood began his career at Huddersfield Town, he joined Portsmouth from Conference North outfit FC Halifax Town (there was a contract at Bradford Park Avenue but they rescinded the offer) and initially battled Reading loanee Mikkel Andersen. The former Terrier eventually became first-choice as Andersen returned to The Royals and he went on to concede 39 goals and keep seven clean sheets as Pompey finished bottom of the table.
Defenders
Gabor Gyepes
The 26-cap Hungarian arrived at Fratton Park having already had spells in English football with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cardiff City and Northampton Town. Having started his career with Hungarian giants Ferencvaros, the centre-back represented no less than nine clubs throughout a career spent between the English leagues and his homeland.
He was a regular for Pompey during the 2012-13 season making 35 appearances and finding the net on four occasions. Following relegation and the rejection of a new deal with Pompey, Gyepes returned to Hungary to represent Fehérvár FC before enjoying a stint in Malaysia with Sarawak FA and then returning to his homeland with Soroksár, III. Kerület TVE Budapest and Biatorbagy SE before ending his playing days at Budakalászi MSE.
Jon Harley
Harley is perhaps the most well-known name on this list after starting his career with Chelsea at the back end of the 20th century, representing the club 42 times and scoring twice. Premier League new boys Fulham splashed out around £5 million on the left back but the move didn’t work out and loans to Sheffield United and West Ham United followed before joining the Blades on a free for their 2004/05 Championship campaign.
The former England Under 21 international’s next move saw him head to Burnley where he made the most appearances of his career before switching to Watford and then on to League One outfit Notts County where he would play under former England captain Paul Ince. His time at Meadow Lane was punctuated by a loan move to Rotherham in League Two before joining Pompey.
Harley’s time at Fratton Park was short-lived. He signed in June 2012, made 23 League One appearances and scored once in a 2-1 defeat to Stevenage before being released in January 2013 and his last known playing contract was with his home town club Maidstone.
After John Mousinho was appointed Portsmouth manager in February, he brought Harley back to the south coast as his assistant manager.
Mustapha Dumbuya
Dumbuya was another of the players like Harley who were released in January 2013 at the end of his short-term deal. He was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone before moving to England aged 5 during the Sierra Leone Civil War.
The defender began his footballing career in non-league with Wingate and Finchley before moving to Conference South side Maidenhead United and then to Potters Bar Town. From there, he entered the Championship with Doncaster Rovers where he made a total of 38 appearances either side of a loan stint at Crystal Palace.
Following Doncaster, the 12-cap international found himself at Fratton Park, initially as part of a mass trial of players before signing a short-term deal. Dumbuya made 26 appearances in all competitions before leaving the club and representing Crawley Town and Notts County.
It was the Magpies that Dumbuya represented the most in his career (58) and they would be his final English club with moves to Partick Thistle and Falkirk being followed by an American adventure at Phoenix Rising and the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Dumbuya’s last known whereabouts was representing Leighton Town in the Southern League.
MUSTAPHA DUMBUYA SIGNS ✍️
Welcome Muzzy, the ex Doncaster Rovers, Crystal Palace, Portsmouth, Crawley town, Notts County, Tampa Bay Rowdies and Sierra Leone international 🇸🇱
He is a pacey wide man who @leebirch has been chasing for a long while now 😁#YourTownYourTeam pic.twitter.com/sFGyoiuTDC
— Leighton Town FC (@LeightonTownFC) May 25, 2022
Midfielders
Johnny Ertl
Johannes ‘Johnny’ Ertl arrived at Fratton Park with the club surrounded in uncertainty in the summer of 2012 after leaving Sheffield United, with whom he had suffered relegation to League One the previous summer.
The seven-cap Austrian international’s journey to Portsmouth began at Sturm Graz before a move to one of the league’s giants Austria Vienna, where he was part of the OFB Cup winning squad and played in the UEFA Cup.
Crystal Palace was the versatile Ertl’s next destination, going on to make just over 50 appearances for the Eagles before a switch to Yorkshire with Sheffield United. Two seasons, 39 matches and a relegation came before joining Pompey.
A disastrous debut saw the Austrian put through his own net and was substituted as Pompey succumbed 1-0 to Oxford United. After a tumultuous season that culminated in relegation and the Supporters’ Trust taking majority control of the club, Ertl was named Player of the Year and found a place in the hearts of Pompey fans. He retired from football at the end of the following season.
Liam Walker
Walker is a 35-year-old midfielder who is still plying his trade in his homeland Gibraltar with Lincoln Red Imps in his second spell with the club. His career began in Spain’s regional leagues, predominantly in Andalusia, and it was his performances for Gibraltar that caught the eye of then Pompey boss Michael Appleton.
The attacker represented the club 28 times and scored twice, finding the net against Scunthorpe United and Carlisle United before leaving the club at the end of the campaign to rejoin Club Deportivo San Roque of Cadiz. According to Transfermarkt, Walker has 69 caps and five goals for Gibraltar and a very impressive career record of 121 goals in 279 matches.
Brian Howard
Winchester-born Howard’s career began with Portsmouth’s arch-rivals Southampton before making his name with Swindon Town and establishing himself in the Championship with Barnsley having won League One promotion via the playoffs.
Sheffield United, Reading and a loan move to Millwall preceded his move to Fratton Park. Promises, broken promises and contract disputes were put aside for Howard to sign on the dotted line for Pompey and he would make 23 League One appearances before leaving the club in January along with Harley, Dumbuya, Williamson, Lubomir Michalik and Luke Rodgers.
He would go on to represent Bristol City, CSKA Sofia, Birmingham City and Oxford United before dropping into non-league football with Eastleigh and ending his playing days at Whitehawk. Howard moved into sports management following his retirement.
Lee Williamson
Another of those players to join Portsmouth in the summer of 2012 only to be out of the door in January 2013 was Jamaica international midfielder Williamson. After beginning his career with Mansfield Town, the 9-cap international also represented Northampton Town, Rotherham United and Watford, where had a brief taste of Premier League football in 2006-07.
He would join Pompey from Sheffield United and make 22 League One appearances before leaving the club after the turn of the year and found himself back in the Championship with Blackburn Rovers. Along with the Blades, he would make the most appearances of his career with Rovers and wound down his league career with Burton Albion.
Transfermarkt have Williamson as also having turned out for Kidsgrove Athletic and the latest on the former midfielder is an announcement on X from Northern Premier League side Ilkeston Town confirming Williamson as a coach.
We're delighted to welcome to the club defender James Hurst and coach Lee Williamson.
More here – https://t.co/9IDRVGp1Bi
🔴⚪️⚫️ #OneTownOneClub pic.twitter.com/ur13llMSIX
— Ilkeston Town FC (@ilkestontown_fc) May 27, 2023
Jed Wallace
Wallace joined Pompey when they were a Championship club in 2011-12 from Isthmian League Premier Division side Lewes FC. He would spend time out on loan at former club Farnborough and Whitehawk before breaking into the Portsmouth side for the 2012-13 campaign.
Still four months short of his 19th birthday, Wallace made 22 appearances and found the net six times as the club were relegated to League Two. The versatile midfielder’s record at Fratton Park is a good one, playing 121 times, adding 30 goals and 12 assists.
Wolverhampton Wanderers came calling for Wallace in a move rumoured to be worth around £250,000. A 2017 permanent move to Millwall was where he managed to secure regular first-team football and was able to stamp his authority on a team. An impressive 91 goal involvements in 260 matches for the Lions over five seasons followed before moving to his current club West Bromwich Albion where he is captain.
Ashley Harris
Portsmouth youth product Harris is a difficult man to find information on! One thing is that his league career was a short-lived one, amassing only 32 appearances across the Championship, League One and Two.
Transfermarkt have Harris appearing 26 times and scoring just three before moving to Gosport Borough after a solitary League Two outing. This is where the website loses Harris.
The official Portsmouth website provides a little extra detail in that Harris joined Bognor Regis on loan in March 2014 having already had temporary spells at Havant and Waterlooville and Chelmsford in the same season.
The last we hear of Harris is thanks to The News who reported in 2021 that he signed for AFC Portchester in the Wessex Premier League having had stints at Horndean and Moneyfields.
Izale McLeod
This one made me feel old when I realised McLeod started his career in the First Division, a time before Championship rebranding. The striker had somewhat of a journeyman career, representing 15 clubs across 15 seasons.
McLeod debuted for Derby County during the 2002-03 season and was loaned to Sheffield United the following year. A permanent switch to MK Dons was where the young striker began to make his name.
His return of 71 goals and 19 assists from 188 games for MK Dons culminated in his best goal-scoring season with 21 as MK made the playoffs in League Two. His form attracted the attention of then Championship side Charlton Athletic who shelled out around £1.5 million for his signature.
His spell with the Addicks was largely disappointing and was punctuated with loans at Colchester United, Millwall and Peterborough United before a move back to League Two with Barnet. Two successful goal-scoring seasons followed before his switch to crisis club Pompey.
McLeod’s time on the South Coast, like so many, was a short-lived one signing in August and being released in January. In those few months, judging by what I’ve seen on social media it would be hard to suggest he was a fan favourite but he did manage 10 league goals before rejoining MK Dons.
He couldn’t replicate his form from his first spell and was moved on to Crawley Town. Spells at Notts County, Yeovil Town, Corby Town and Wrexham would bring McLeod’s career to a close.
Managers
Michael Appleton
Appleton was in charge of Pompey for a few days short of a year, leaving the club in November of 2012. He had been promised funds once the club had been taken over but these never materialised so Appleton was forced into signing players on short-term deals and cobbling a team together.
He left Fratton Park for Blackpool before jumping ship again to Blackburn Rovers a few months later. Appleton lasted a matter of months in the job at Ewood Park and his next stop was Oxford United.
Appleton has had spells in the back room staff at Leicester City and West Brom and was the main man at Lincoln City before rejoining Blackpool. Appleton has recently been appointed manager of Charlton Athletic.
Guy Whittingham
Former Portsmouth legend Whittingham took the reins from Appleton as the club continued a poor season on the pitch but saw positive changes off it when the Supporters’ Trust took control of the club.
He had been a member of the technical staff at the club and was an assistant manager for a short spell. He lasted two years in the Fratton Park dugout before resurfacing as John Gregory’s assistant at Crawley Town in late 2013.
Whittingham was last known to be an educator with the Football Association.
