Thank you all for attending another sell-out fixture at Fratton Park this afternoon and welcome to everyone, including those who have made the journey from Devon
We all come together today to pay our respects and share our sadness at the passing of Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II, at the age of 96. There will be many with us who will have personally met the Queen, especially given the strong naval presence in the cities of Portsmouth and Plymouth. That will mean this afternoon’s planned pre-match tributes will be particularly personal to so many of you and we ask everyone to join us in observing a minute’s silence in the Queen’s memory. This will be followed with an invitation to join in with the national anthem.
The club are also conscious of the huge demands placed on the police, both this week and over the coming few days. Many police forces are being deployed to London and elsewhere in our community, allowing so many to safely pay their respects. We are grateful to Hampshire Constabulary for their efforts to provide sufficient resource, which has meant today’s fixture is able to go ahead.
The events of last Thursday meant that there were no football fixtures played that weekend, but we were quickly back in action on Tuesday evening, winning at Burton to record a sixth straight league success. Plymouth, meanwhile, stretched their own run to four league victories by beating Oxford on home soil. It sets up the prospect of another thrilling and entertaining match this afternoon.
My last set of programme notes for the Peterborough match were written a day prior to the closure of the transfer window and we were delighted to complete some additional late business with the loan signing of Josh Koroma from Huddersfield, especially given the significant interest in him from the Championship. We also agreed the season-long loan of Haji Mnoga to Gillingham, which will help to deliver the crucial next stage in his development, providing the opportunity of regular football within the EFL.
Josh became the 12th summer addition to the squad and completed a busy, intense and productive window. Of course, judgement on the business completed should always be reserved towards the end of any season, but I do want to thank Danny, Nicky, the coaching staff and all our recruitment and analysis team for the diligent way they have gone about their work, identifying those able to make a real difference and then preparing and delivering compelling presentations directly to the players and their representatives. Many had alternative options, but through the hard graft completed by our football staff, they decided for themselves that this football club was the right place to be.
We should, of course, not forget the early business completed back in May. New deals were agreed with Sean Raggett, Michael Jacobs and Reeco Hackett, while options were taken up on Louis Thompson, Jay Mingi and Jayden Reid. This activity provided an early advantage towards assessing and shaping our player recruitment over the reminder of the summer.
As the close season progressed, we maintained a determination to be patient, especially in the recruitment of attacking options. There are many different attributes required across the forward areas of the pitch and we were mindful that once we made a commitment on one, then that would impact on future signings to achieve the ideal balance. The easy way out at some moments in the window when we were under pressure, would have been to panic and compromise, signing a player who might not necessarily have been the best option for us and affected thinking on our most desired targets. By holding our nerve, we preserved optimal balance with later opportunities and tried throughout to deliver a considered and strategic approach to every discussion and each decision. Player recruitment and identification of future opportunities never stops. Next week, as usual, we will get together with the board for our regular monthly strategic player recruitment meeting, as we continually look to review, plan, improve and shape an exciting future for the football club.
I would like to end this review of the transfer window by thanking one of our unsung heroes. Anabel Roman, our club secretary, makes sure all the paperwork is properly drafted and lodged in accordance with the complexities of the various EFL and FA regulations. This can often be a thankless task, with Anabel so often tirelessly working up against the clock to get players properly registered ahead of a transfer deadline or the cut-off time for a Saturday match. Sadly, Anabel has made the personal decision, after 14 years of loyal and outstanding service to Portsmouth Football Club, to step away altogether from the football industry. Today will be her last game with us and so do please join me in thanking Anabel and wishing both her and her partner Martin every success and happiness for the future.
Finally, we learned earlier this week that our scheduled home fixture against Bolton next Saturday would be postponed due to international call-ups. The rearranged date will likely be in October or early November and full details will be announced in due course.
Thank you all for your support today on what I am sure for many, given the events of the past nine days, will be an emotional occasion. Enjoy the game and PUP!
Andrew Cullen
CEO