Monday is Pompey D-Day
Pompey hope to move into their new training ground in Copnor next week.
It will mark a huge milestone for the club as they return to train at a permanent city base for the first time in many years.
Blues chief executive Mark Catlin told The News: ‘We are due to move in Monday, which would be fantastic. A lot will depend on the weather — there is still a lot of finishing off to be done and, as ever, we are at the mercy of the conditions. But everything we are doing is aimed at getting everyone in there for this coming Monday.
‘Andy has been clear from the start he didn’t want to go in there when it was 50, 60 or 70-per-cent completed. He wants to go in when it is 95 or 100 per cent ready. We can obviously allow for a few bits here and there that need doing.
‘Most of the players haven’t seen the training ground at all, so the idea is they enter it and go "Wow” from day one. Everything is now in situ and linked up with the main building, so we will have to make a decision at some point this week whether we move everything over or not because there is a lot of stuff that has to be put in the new offices.
‘There are desks, computer equipment, IT issues — everything has got to be moved over so it is just when we make that decision. The youth team have been in there for almost a month now and are over the moon with it, reporting no big issues. It’s just about some bits being finished off, some painting and cosmetic bits, but we are at the mercy of the weather for that.
‘We want it looking nice and, for the sake of potentially another week, it is not really worth rushing it. We have waited six months since it started and to get to this point is incredible. Monday is the day we are hoping for, though.’
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