Pompey were delighted to roll out the red carpet for true hero supporter Steve Chamberlain at the last home game against Oxford.
Steve is a Deck Officer at Wightlink and in February he sprang to fame by jumping into the icy waters of Portsmouth Harbour to rescue a man.
He met manager Kenny Jackett and the squad at training on the Friday before the fixture and was then a guest of honour in the Boardroom and Directors’ Box for the match.
Chief executive Mark Catlin said: “It was a privilege to host Steve at the game. The word ‘hero’ is often bandied around all too easily, but in his case it is totally deserved. It was the least the club could do.”
"The word ‘hero’ is often bandied around all too easily, but in his case it is totally deserved."
Wightlink chief executive Keith Greenfield added: “Steve was on duty on the car ferry St Clare that night and took immediate action after a man was spotted in difficulty in Portsmouth Harbour.
"Although a life ring had been thrown towards the drowning man, he was unable to reach out for it and the crew saw his head was dipping beneath the water.
"Without hesitation, Steve jumped into the Camber dock and successfully kept the man’s head above water until help arrived.
"The rescued man was taken to the Queen Alexandra Hospital and discharged the following day.”
Steve said: “As a long-standing fan, both meeting Kenny and the lads at the training ground and sitting in the Directors' Box was a huge thrill. I'm really chuffed the club thought to do this for me."
Wightlink supports the Pompey Academy, including helping players who travel to train at the academy from the Isle of Wight.