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In 1991/92 something happened. Pompey had a great FA-cup run and I had started following their results as well as Arsenal. I watched the semi-finals against Liverpool on TV and felt down as they lost out on penalties.
Next season I still supported Arsenal, but my interest in Pompey increased game by game. The 1992/93 season was a highly entertaining season. I sat listening to BBC Radio 5 to catch up with commentary from Pompey's matches. At the end of the season I had decided that I wanted to start a supporter's club for Pompey in Scandinavia.
From then on Pompey have gradually taken Arsenal's palce as my number one favourite team in England. I still hope Arsenal win the Premier League, but Pompey are my number one team. NO DOUBT!
In 1994 I decided to go to England to watch Pompey live for the first time. Through Pompey's matchday programmes I had got a few penfriends in the area and I was invited to stay with one of the families (Kneller). When visiting Fratton Park for the first time I was invited to Jim Smith's office and spent a good 40 minutes talking football to the Pompey-manager. That was a great experience for a 19 year old Norwegian who had just started following Pompey. Mr. Smith also gave me and my friend free tickets to the coming match and access to the player's lounge afterwards. After that I have never looked considered followinga ny other English team than Pompey:)
My first match was a great experience. We took the coach with the rest of the Pompey-fans to Filbert Street to watch Pompey against a very good Leicester City-side. However Pompey scored (through Gerry Creaney I think) after a minute or something and by half time we were 3-0 up. What a "debut" for me. At half-time there were trouble with the floodlights and there were talks about the match being postponed. The second half got underway though and we won 3-0.
A few days later my first day at Fratton Park to watch Pompey. It ended 2-2 after Millwall equalised late on. Before the match I presented Alan McLoughlin with a trophy for being our player of the season the season before. I have also been to Portsmouth in 1996 and saw Watford-Portsmouth 1-2 and Pompey-Sheffield United 1-2. Unfortunately I haven't been to Portsmouth since then, but now in the Easter of 2002 I plan to go to England with a few mates. They are not Pompey-supporters however, but hopefully I can convince them that they should prefer Fratton Park and Portsmouth instead of the Premiership.
In 1997 Pompey had their pre-season in Norway, and only two hours from my home in Haugesund. I was then living and studying in Portugal and had planned to come home at the end of August, but when I heard about Pompey coming to Norway I changed my tickets and came home in time to follow them here. Our local newspaper caught up with the story and wrote a page (in colours) about me and my passion for Portsmouth. Last week they decided to write about me and my supporter's club again, so my passion for Pompey is being spread around the area of Haugesund.
Joakim has his own website at http://www.geocities.com/venneravpompey
If you're a Pompey fan, far from home, email us at editor@frattonfaithful.co.uk