For fans of a certain age this game is one of the classics of the time.
Strangely when Saints were drawn to play Portsmouth at Fratton Park in January 1984 this was only the second times the clubs had met in the FA Cup, the first being 78 years earlier in 1906, so when it was dubbed game of the century by the local press, they were perhaps not far wrong. The first game finished 5-1 to Saints so the chance for revenge had been a long time coming.
Interesting to note where the different comments from supporters both on TV and in the newspapers, although Pompey had only just got back in the second division after a seven year abscence, their fans seemed to be suffering delusions of granduer, almost to a man they spoke about how Pompey were the best side in Hampshire and now they had the chance to prove it, the reality though was that they were mid table in the second whilst Saints were one of the best sides in the country at the time as would be shown by the final table when they finished second only to an all conquering Liverpool side. Saints supporters were more reserved and talked of how if their team played to its capabilities then the result should go their way, the same sort of quiet confidence that Lawrie McMenemy often exuded.
Fratton would see a full house for the first time in a very long time, it was the biggest crowd since 1957 to be precise although the 36,000 packed in was lower than the capacity that the ground used to have before more stringent safety regulations.
Of that crowd 12,000 were Saints supporters who were allocated not only the Milton End, but half of the lower South Terrace and a section of seats, gaining a ticket in the Saints section was difficult, if you didnt have either a season ticket or a special voucher then you didnt stand a chance, at Pompey it was different, although they sold their allocation, it took a few days to do it and therefore a lot of Saints supporters nipped down and bought tickets in home sections, indeed the tickets being no more than cheap pieces of paper were easily reproduced and there were a few hundred tickets in circulation amongst Saints fans that were forged, mainly for the Fratton End.
In fairness to Pompey manager Bobby Campbell had the makings of a good side, Mark Hateley, Kevin Dillon and Neil Webb would all go on to better things, but for all the Pompey fans bluster they were still a long way from being a promotion winning side at that point.
Saints received a traditional welcome reserved for Southampton players at Fratton, but when they entered the pitch it was more sinister than usual as bananas and racist abuse were directed at Danny Wallace & Reuben Agboola, younger readers might not be surprised, however coloured players had been a feature of English football for a good half dozen years or more but this was a definite harking back to the 1970's.
Throughout the game a barrage of coins were thrown from the Pompey sections whenever a Saints player ventured to take a throw, indeed both linesman were struck, the atmosphere was intimidating, but red hhot with Saints fans contributing to the wall of noise.
The game itself was a tense affair, Pompey of course blustered and chased everything whilst Saints calmly just got on with things, chances were few and far between, but it would ultimately be a tale of two strikers come the post match inquests.
One of them Alan Biley squandered the two chances that Pompey really should have scored from, a rare free header in the first half and a second when he really should have won the game for Pompey in the 87th minute but through on goal he blazed high and wide from barely six yards, that was a major let off and history could have been changed at that point.
But Saints also had their chances with Alan Knight pulling off a decent save from Mick Mills, in fact the only real save of the game.
But with both sets of supporters seemingly resigned to a draw and chants of "scummers scummers here we come" echoing from the home sections came one of those spine tingling moments in a Saints supporters life.
The game was drifting into injury time, but in those days no one knew how long the ref might add being pre injury time board days, certainly there was some, not least for the stoppage when Mark Dennis had been hit by a coin from the North Stand, in those days at least in Pompey this was nothing exceptional, the ref spoke to the police who in turn glared at the crowd, the incident stopped the game for barely 90 seconds, but 90 seconds into injury time came that moment, initially not a lot looked on, Saints seemed content to run down the clock, but then Frank Worthington angled a pass to Dave Armstrong, a pass that opened things up a bit and the pompey fans knew it, Armstrong in turn got in a cross from the right wing that disected the defence, but was just too far out for Alan Knight to attempt to come, it was low and hard, the type that often flash across goal with no one there, certainly Pompey supporters hoped that, but then Steve Moran appeared and met it on the volley from close range, Knight did his best and almost saved it, but all he could do was divert it into the inside of the side netting, the Saints fans packed behind the goal went crazy whilst most of the rest of the ground were stunned into silence.
Pompey barely had time to kick off and the game was won
Certainly the Pompey manager thought the coin throwing incident cost them the game lamenting that neither trainer had been on (Or substitute used for that matter) so the stoppage time could only have been for that reason, Lawrie McMenemy merely commented that he himself was now £4.50 richer in loose change and had 2lb's of bananas to take home.
After the game it was carnage, Saints fans were held infor a while and then let out, although the police could not hope to escort 12,000 fans back to their transport, along Goldsmith Avenue the usual rioting and the home fans wrecked their town, 16 plate glass windows were smashed, 18 people in hospital, pubs trashed, a shop set on fire and 59 arrests, you had to think, as you did some 20 years later that this was not all caused by Pompey fans but elements out for a bit of public disorder.
Perhaps the thing to remember is that in that North Terrace was a Pompey fan, a supporter who has never been named, perhaps his mates with him laughed alongside him and chanted Scummer at the injured Mark Dennis, but that short minute of laughing must now be on his conscience for the past 28 years, for here is the man who cost Portsmouth Football Club an FA Cup 4th Round Tie against the hated Scummers, perhaps motre than Dave Armstrong's cross or Steve Moran's goal, for without this man, Moran would have been shaking hands with Knight and walking off the pitch after the final whistle rather than volleying the ball into the net and sending one city into a frenzy of joy and another into a frenzy of hate, as someone said, there is only two ways to beat Pompey, either slughter them out of sight or score a last minute goal such as this.