In the end, it was a case of when and not if Portsmouth would be promoted back to the Championship. They suffered a wobble, as most sides do, but survived that and took the League One title on Tuesday evening.
The late rally saw two goals in the last ten minutes to seal a come-from-behind win against Barnsley, in front of a packed Fratton Park. The winner in the last minute, a header from defender Conor Shaughnessy, his fourth of the season, sparked scenes of pure jubilation with an inevitable pitch invasion. Pompey is back in the second tier for the first time in a dozen years.
The fact that Bolton Wanderers dropped points on the same night meant that Portsmouth would still have gained promotion, but it’s always better to celebrate promotion in your style, and that is exactly what happened on the south coast.
Speaking to the media after the game and reported by The League Paper, manager John Mousinho couldn’t hold back his joy after what has been a long road back for Pompey and their fans.
“I never could have imagined this happening this quickly. This was obviously the goal at some point but didn’t think it would happen with two games to go this season. It is a remarkable achievement. That is a serious effort to be crowned champions ahead of some of the big boys in this league as well.
“I think once everything settles down it will sink in properly. I’ve never experienced anything like that, the last 15 minutes, it was absolutely incredible.”
🎙️ Time to hear from your title-winning head coach, #Pompey fans 💙 pic.twitter.com/Hw1dAfvSWk
— Portsmouth F(C) 🏆 (@Pompey) April 17, 2024
But sink in it must, and even though Mousinho and his staff will enjoy this moment, it will not be long before he sets about the task of preparing for the next challenge – the EFL Championship.
League One is a battleground that takes a huge effort to move up from. The next level is notoriously worse, with teams that drop out of the Premier League with huge budgets and larger followings. If you don’t hit the ground running then you could find yourself rooted to the foot of the table with a long season ahead. Rotherham United and Sheffield Wednesday will be the first to admit that this season, as they have suffered promotion hangovers in recent years.
One team that has been the exception, and is on the brink of something truly special is Ipswich Town.
The Suffolk side could be promoted to the Premier League after winning the League One title last season, and their momentum carried them through at the start of the season. The fast start meant they had only lost two league games when the bust festive period started. In fact, by the end of January, they had only lost three league games, two of those against Leeds United, who are also in with a huge chance of promotion.
Their manager, Kieran McKenna, recently picked up the Championship Manager of the Year award. Mousinho picked up the same accolade for League One. Both are young and ambitious, and the Pompey boss could do worse than look at how Ipswich have tackled this season. The two clubs are similar in size and support but know that investment could well be the key to success moving forward.
Michael Eisner, former chief executive of Disney, took over the club ownership alongside his Tornante Company group and has overseen operations since 2017. He sent a message of congratulations soon after the final whistle.
“Congratulations to all of Pompey! From the players to all of the staff to the fans – what an accomplishment to celebrate with the city of Portsmouth! Congrats to Andrew Cullen, Rich Hughes and John Mousinho for putting together a super group of footballers. That has made all the difference.”
He will no doubt be in touch with his decorated manager to see how he wants to plot the course as the team on the Solent looks set to sail the rough tides of the Championship, and not be blasted out of the water as soon as they embark on their journey.
Be the first to comment