Will A Lad From Pompey Score The Wembley Winner For Saints Again ? Saturday, 18th Feb 2017 11:25 Famously in 1976 the winning goal was scored by Portsmouth born and bred Bobby Stokes prompting the unlikely sight of Paulsgrove residents celebrating Saints cup win, but will history repeat itself. Bobby Stokes was a Pompey boy through and through and continued to live their his entire life apart from the odd months away later in his career playing in America. He was a Paulsgrove resident for most of that time and although most of Portsmouth frothed at the mouth as Saints won the cup and then spent the rest of that record heatwave summer not outdoors, but sat inside with the curtains closed. Not in Bobby's part of Paulsgrove though, there his neighbours reveled in his success and threw a street party when he returned, many houses sporting home made banners congratulating him and his team. Back then there was still a lot of rivalry and hatred between the two cities, their football teams and fans, but there was still that local pride in Paulsgrove that was more important than hating Southampton. Now Saints go to Wembley again and they have a Portsmouth born player in the squad. James Ward Prowse was born at the wrong end of the M27 and his family are Portsmouth supporters, however when it came to choosing a club to sign for when he was 8, Saints record and the quality of the academy system mean that Saints were the preferred destination and not Fratton Park. Now JWP looks to emulate that most famous of Portsmuthians and not only play in the final but score the winning goal and there are those that are looking at that as a good omen. There is something about a fan of your hated rivals winning a trophy for you that is appealing, down here Bobby Stokes and JWP were accepted into the Southampton family in a way that Southampton born players are rarely welcomed down at Fratton Park , we would relish the irony of a JWP winner, whereas if Saints supporting Darren Anderton had scored a winner for Pompey against Liverpool in the 1992 FA Cup semi final it would have tainted the day for them. JWP wasn't even born when Anderton was in his prime for Pompey let alone when Bobby Stokes sent the red half of Hampshire into ecstasy, but I doubt if he would be given the welcome home that Bobby received back in 1976, indeed he would probably never be able to walk the streets of his home city again. So will James Ward Prowse emulate Bobby Stokes, will he score the winner at Wembley ? I suspect that there might perhaps be a few people have a little flutter at the bookies that he might ! Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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