Pompey are mourning the death of Brian Snowdon, who has passed away at the age of 88.
The centre-half – who spent his National Service with the Royal Air Force – played for Shildon Works in Durham before signing for Blackpool.
Blues boss Freddie Cox then parted with £10,000 to bring him to Fratton Park in 1959, with a debut arriving in a 1-0 Division Two defeat at Derby.
He replaced club legend Jimmy Dickinson as skipper, although a thigh injury and dislocated shoulder halted his progress.
Pompey were relegated at the end of the following season, but immediately bounced back by winning the third tier title under George Smith.
Snowdon was a regular for that success and then looked assured at a higher level before another injury kept him sidelined.
He was relegated to the reserves early in the 1963/64 season and Smith allowed him to leave for Millwall.
Appointed skipper, he led the Londoners to successive promotions from Division Four to Division Two – playing his part in a remarkable 59-match unbeaten run on home soil.
Snowdon later appeared for Margate, Detroit Cougars and Cystal Palace, also working as a PE teacher.
The thoughts of everyone at Portsmouth Football Club are with Brian’s family and friends at this sad time.