Let the Wembley week begin

The following was written by PompeyFrippy and originally posted in the forum - here.

Although I thought it would make a good 'front page article' too...

PLAY UP POMPEY!

Ok, I rarely start a thread, but I feel the need to for this upcoming week. Possibly the biggest week for our unforeseeable future, and so I shall begin.

The greatest birthday present I could imagine on the 6th of March was a win against Birmingham and a return to Wembley. It was deja vu of 2 years ago when on my 21st (not my actual birthday, but the Saturday after in which I was hosting my party), when we beat Man Utd on their own turf which gave me belief. Fair enough, we had a much inferior valued side this time around, but a win against the Brummies was all that separated me from my dream of returning to Wembley far more sooner than I could have imagined.

But lo and behold we did it, with our fortress a'rocking and each player in blue striving to prove that despite wearing a shirt destined for second tier football, they were willing to give all they could to show we weren't going without a fuss. Two goals in quick succession, and all of a sudden, Fratton Park was singing about going to Wembley, against all odds.

And now, we are in Wembley Week, no more dead rubber Premier League matches to distract us, next stop... Wembley.

Before I start ranting on about returning to our second home, I must first thank the person on this board who was generous and friendly enough to offer us their tickets. I'm not sure if they want their name to be mentioned, but you know who you are, and the one regret I had about my last few visits to Wembley is that I wasn't sitting next to my Dad. This has been rectified thanks to you and I can't thank you enough.

To be brutally honest, until now I hadn't thought of anything except our return to the grand stage, but with out other fixtures out of the way, I've suddenly had the realisation that this will be a football match, one that either side can win. It is no longer about just going back to play at Wembley, it's about going back to Wembley with a chance to compete in the FA Cup Final. I know it's commonly banded about as a label for the competition, but it's true that "Anything can happen in the FA Cup".

Until now I hadn't thought of the fact that we could well win this match, but we can. We played them on their own turf a week ago and despite losing the match, and being without key players, we put up some fight. Next time it will be different. Next time it will be on neutral ground. Next time we will have players fit again and ready to prove their worth. Next time, it can be different.

I don't want to underline the fact that we are the underdogs, but when has that ever stopped anyone in the FA Cup. This is our chance to show those over at FA Headquarters that football isn't about money, a massive stadium and a 'brand' that sells across the globe. Football is about spirit, fight and determination. WE are about spirit, fight and determination.

On Sunday the 11th of April, league position, form and money goes out the window. This is a day where we can set the FA Cup standard. A day where we can stick two fingers to the powers that be, and go out and give the performance of our season. I believe we have the players who are willing to go out on that sacred turf and do that. I believe that we can give them the game they weren't expecting. I believe we can win.

I know that I don't need to urge fans to get behind our team, because we are Portsmouth Football Club, and we are proud to wear blue and get behind our team whatever the circumstances may be.

Wembley, here we come.

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