It's time for another stroll down Pompey Memory Lane as we continue our recollections of the Blues' second division seasons.

In my View from the North Stand programme column all last season, using my own memories and your highlights, I revisited Pompey's past 21 second-tier campaigns, stretching back to 1983-84, to celebrate our return to the Championship.

Not everyone sees the programme so I am reworking the pieces on this website over the summer, three seasons at a time. We've already covered all the second division seasons from 1983 to 1999, so now it's time for the first three seasons of Milan Mandaric's Fratton reign.

Here's how you and I remembered 99-00, 00-01 and 01-02...

1999-2000

We continue our run through Pompey's past 21 'second division seasons' with a trip back to 1999-2000 and I will admit it was not the most memorable – yet it arguably should have been, with new owner Milan Mandaric having bought the club out of its latest financial crisis.

On the sunny August day he was introduced to fans before a nice win over Sheffield United, talk of an 18th place finish, five points clear of the relegation, would have seemed mad. But it's what we got.

Alan Ball was still manager for the first four months and it was an early trip to the English Riviera that Ross Henley recalled. "I decided to grab some of the new Mandaric era optimism by heading on an August Tuesday to Torquay to watch Pompey in League Cup first round, first leg – a week after Torquay had witnessed the excitement of a daytime total eclipse of the sun, when the match had been due to be played. The match was as poor as the summer of 1999. It was a 0-0 draw: the eclipse must have used up all the available excitement in Torquay."

Ben Cummings was there too: "My mum tied it in with a caravan holiday. It was a shocking game. Big Neville Southall was in goal for Torquay."

It was a tie at Blackburn in round two that Martin Sackman recalled: "One of the highlights of the season was being at Ewood Park when Alan Knight was subbed on with Pompey being 6-1 down on aggregate - to make his 800th Pompey appearance."

@PFCJohnny's memories included 'signing Rory Allen, Portsmouth's first million pound player; exciting times. The first three games we were unbeaten, before a dreaded trip to Barnsley, going down to nine men and losing 6-0! Darren Moore was signed in November - "Bruno" was a hero of mine...."

Will Chitty said: "I went to Palace away where Pompey were 3-0 down around the hour mark - at which point I’d had enough. I'm pretty sure that’s the earliest I've left a game." John Lish wrote: "My main memory was travelling back from Craven Cottage (after a 1-0 loss in November) and listening to fans saying Bally should be sacked. It had been a terrible game, tbf. I also remember Milan wanting to sit in the Fratton End saying 'I want to sit with the hardcore'.”

Days after Bally was given the push, Pompey went out of the FA Cup. Ben Cummings continues: “It was the first year we had been knocked out in the third round before Christmas as they changed the dates that season.”

Martin Sackman has a question about that: “Do we know if the Lord John Russell pub in Southsea ever put their Christmas decs up that year? They traditionally took them down when Pompey went out of the cup.”

After Tony Pulis took over in January, things didn't improve. But Matt Burnett remembered a couple of high points: "Gary O'Neil making his debut while still being at school, and Lee Bradbury scoring a hat-trick against Swindon after going 10 or so games without scoring... with Mandaric sat in the Fratton End."

Lewis (@Lewis04004733 on X) recalled that O'Neil debut too – mainly for a Steve Claridge hat-trick that saw off Barnsley 3-0. Who'd have bet on such an outcome?

Paul Whiteaway remembered one final high point: "One of my very few highlights of the season would be Lee Bradbury’s brace against his old club Man City in a 2-2 draw at Fratton on Easter Monday to deny City a vital promotion victory."

2000-01

For a while, after asking for fans' memories of Pompey's 2000-01 season, I was thinking I might as well have asked for recollections of 1900-01. Let's just say, the floodgates did not open. But then one follower remembered one game – and old wounds were opened. For unusually for these trips down Memory Lane, it was not a win that sprang to people's minds but a terrible defeat – one that looked like it would seal relegation.

As @PFCJohnny put it: “How can we forget the Palace home game? It was toxic. Fans were throwing shirts and season tickets on to the pitch. It gives me the shivers still!” Dan Almond said of the same game: “Worst mood I’ve ever experienced at FP. Very dark at 2-0, lifted slightly when we reduced the deficit before HT and then went even worse when Palace scored again within a minute. Didn’t someone run on and ‘have a word’ with Lee Bradbury?”

Though that penultimate game was lost because the whole team played poorly, it's poor old Carl Tiler who people most associate with it – though he did score one of our goals, Lee Mills getting the other. Chris Ebbens shuddered in recalling 'the weatherman' - and like John Tucker, Ebbo also mentioned the immense relief after the happier follow-up game, a 3-0 win over Barnsley which kept us up.

That was our third final-day escape from the 'Division 2 Drop' in six seasons and happily it was to be our last for a while. And it came at the end of one of those three-managers seasons, having started it with Tony Pulis in charge, continued it with Steve Clardige taking over and ended it with Graham Rix the boss.

Paul Whiteaway pointed out both Palace games were memorable that term – the away one, Claridge's third game as player-boss, saw a 2-0 deficit turned into a 3-2 win.

Claridge loomed large in others' memories of 00-01. @Thomas_2791 remembered: “Thomas Thogersen scoring three in three when Claridge took the player-manager job. Thought we were on to something in those three games.” And Matt Burnett highlighted Claridge's first half hat-trick at home to Wolves and a last-minute Steve Lovell winner v Stockport among 'very few highs'.

Other games recalled from 00-01? @PFCjohnny (again) spoke of the opening game at Bramall Lane, when Andy Awford suffered a horrific neck injury and Linvoy Primus had a nightmare, and a trip to Craven Cottage watched by 6,000 Pompey fans when a Claridge goal sparked delirium only for the lads to lose 3-1.

Regular Memory Lane resident Simon Kidd said: “I have two memories from that season – and both involve cup exits at the hands of Rovers. I was in a crowd of only 2,731 for the second leg of our League Cup tie against Blackburn. We'd been hammered 4-0 at Ewood so there was little chance of overturning this – and so it proved. Luke Nightingale grabbed our goal in a tame 1-1 affair and we were out. Fast forward to January and Tranmere dumped us out of the FA Cup in the third round 2-1 at Fratton. Lee Bradbury’s 8th minute goal was not enough to keep our interest alive."

2001-02

Our 2001-02 season comes into focus next as we continue to dart around Pompey's past 21 second-tier campaigns, and it's another that plenty recall well – one of sadness, excitement, magic moments and frustration, almost in equal measure.

The sadness was intense and came before it began – with the death of Aaron Flahavan. The excitement came from the likes of Mark Burchill and Perer Crouch, the magic moments from Sir Robert Prosinecki, the frustration from the fact we had some really bad days and finished 17th.

John PF(C) sums up the sombre start: "How can we forget the home game against Bradford? As we were singing Abide With Me, Aaron Flahavan's partner and brother placed flowers in the Fratton End goal, such a sombre moment in the pouring rain I will never forget. Such a tragedy."

Soon, Prosi was making headlines. George Stevens offered: "The most skilful Pompey player ever? Certainly for ball control. Beating players for fun, an absolute joy to watch. You'd laugh out loud at his sheer nerve. We knew he was past his prime, we didn’t care. This was magic. Our magic. You could almost see the pint and fag in his hand."

Biley's Mullet wrote: "Barnsley away on a Friday night. Won 4-1. Prosi got a standing ovation from the home crowd as well as the Pompey fans." Graham Dubber added: "My son Tom and I saw him in Whiteley literally lighting one one fag from the butt end of another he'd just finished!"

Portseaislander remembered 'the other Barnsley game', at home: "Prosinecki hat-trick, 4-2 up only to mess it up and draw 4-4., seeing him throw his boots after game in disgust." Gary Martin described the Croatian master like this: "Turns one way, back the other, turns again, back again, probably should have passed it or shot the first time, turns again, everybody's given up at this point, curls it in the corner."

Bob Beech recalled: "August bank holiday Monday... high-flying Grimsby swagger in to Fratton only to be met by God's gift to football, Robert Prosinecki - the only time I’ve seen a player dummy an entire ground."

What of other 01-02 players? John Tucker said: "Alessandro Zamperini - I thought 'here we go', we have our own Paolo Maldini. He came out for that first game, a typical stunning-looking Italian... unfortunately he wasn't Maldini on the pitch - but he was okay!"

From John Lish: "My favourite memory of that season was seeing Peter Crouch and Courtney Pitt wandering around town together And the sight of GON and Neil Barrett running like mad things for Prosinecki.”

Chris Ebbens said: “I thought Courtney Pitt was a wonderful player... until we signed Matty Taylor the next season!”

And @majorravermatt added: “How great a professional, especially with the way he was treated, was Dave Beasant? Outstanding the early part of the season, only to be dumped for Yoshi to sell a few jerseys in Japan.”

Pompey Hobgoblin recalled 'the Prosinecki shimmy that fooled everyone, Mark Burchill's explosive pace, Chelsea youngsters Pitt and Barrett, Zamperini's wrist bandage Yoshi and Orient, oh and some bloke called Arry'.

Mike Blythman remembered the optimism of early home 4-2 wins and the signings of Crouch, Burchill and Prosi, while for Pompeysince69 that FA Cup loss to Leyton Orient was too much. "It resulted in me moving to Saudi Arabia for a year. It pushed me over the edge."

Dan Almond said: "The 3-3 draw to Wimbledon at Selhurst (the day after the 9/11 terror attack) was good fun. We went to Maine Road for the last game of the season and there was a huge sense of relief amont fans the season was over."

Return soon for memories of 02-03 (nice), 10-11 (not so nice) and 11-12 (even worse)...

Photo: na

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