Portsmouth Football Club are devastated to hear about the death of Alan McLoughlin at the age of just 54.
The former Blues player, radio pundit, academy coach and first team coach had been fighting a brave battle against cancer.
He played a key role in the side that came so close to reaching the FA Cup final as a second tier club in 1992 and then almost reached the Premier League the following year.
McLoughlin is also a Republic of Ireland hero, having famously scored the goal that secured qualification for the 1994 World Cup.
A former Manchester United apprentice, he went on to play for Swindon and Southampton before crossing the south coast divide to sign for Pompey in February 1992.
But he soon won over the Fratton faithful, grabbing the winner against Nottingham Forest that took his new club into the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
He nearly provided more magic in the replay against Liverpool at Villa Park, only to see a shot come back off the crossbar and the Merseysiders triumph on penalties.
Macca impressed again the following season, as Pompey agonisingly missed out on automatic promotion, then lost in the play-offs.
And a stunning hat-trick at Ewood Park in January 1994 saw the Blues take top-flight Blackburn to an FA Cup replay.
That summer saw him head to the USA to feature in his second World Cup – becoming the first Pompey player to appear at the tournament since 1958.
McLoughlin – who was capped 42 times by his country – netted a total of 68 goals in 361 appearances for the club before leaving for Wigan in 1999.
Retiring following a spell at Forest Green, he worked as a summariser on Pompey matches for The Quay and BBC Radio Solent and was inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame in 2010.
He then returned to Fratton Park as an academy coach the following year and helped several players develop into first team stars.
McLoughlin was appointed first team coach when Andy Awford became manager, but left in 2014 and returned to Swindon to work in their youth set-up.
The thoughts of everyone at Portsmouth Football Club are with Alan’s wife Deby, their daughters Abby and Megan, and all their family and friends at this sad time.