by Neil Weld
Erik Huseklepp hailed Pompey’s travelling army after scoring in the Blues’ 1-1 draw at Blackpool.
Around 1,500 fans made the long journey up from the south coast, despite the match kicking-off at 5.20pm and being televised live on Sky.
They were in fine voice at Bloomfield Road and a version of the Manchester City ‘Poznan’ – where fans chant with their backs to the pitch – and a posse of dancing Elvis Presley’s added to a superb atmosphere.
It obviously had an impact as Huseklepp ran to celebrate with the supporters after scoring.
The Norwegian then joined a host of Pompey players in throwing his shirt into the crowd at the end of the game.
“The fans were fantastic,” said Huseklepp. “They came in large numbers and I could only hear them throughout the game. They are so loud and sang for the whole match.
“It’s a long way to come and there were so many of them, so I wanted to celebrate with the fans when I scored.
“Giving them our shirts was a nice gesture and a lot of the players decided to do it. It was the least we could do because they show us such great support.”
Huseklepp was pleased with his sixth goal of the season, which arrived just before half-time.
But he was frustrated about a couple of missed chances after the interval which allowed Blackpool to rescue a point through Stephen Crainey’s free-kick.
“It’s a difficult place to come, but we created a lot of chances and played well,” said Huseklepp. “I wish we had more than one point, but we’ll take a draw.
“I’m pleased with the goal. I got the ball from Marko, turned and just tried to find the corner.
“The manager was pleased at half-time and just told us to keep it tight at the back and win the game.
“I should have scored two and then maybe we would have won the game, but these things happen and I’m pleased that I was able to get into the position to have some chances.”