This was one of the greatest FA Cup runs that Portsmouth fans had the privilege of watching.
The club had won the FA Cup in 1939 and had reached the semi-final in 1929 and 1934. As that Cup win was 53 years before the run in 1991/92, no one under the age of 60 would be able to remember what it was like to see Pompey have a real run in the competition.
Portsmouth’s FA Cup campaign began on 4th January at St James’s Park, home of Exeter City.
Goals from Guy Whittingham and Warren Aspinall secured a 2-1 win and a place in the Fourth Round.
Leyton Orient were the visitors to Fratton Park in the Fourth Round and Portsmouth dispatched of the Division team with a 2-0 win.
Darren Anderton scored both of Pompey’s goals to send them through to the Fifth Round.
Anderton’s first goal was a classic. An Orient defender headed the ball clear from a corner and Anderton thumped the ball back on the volley from the edge of the box.
The ball flew past Orient goalkeeper Chris Turner who stood motionless as the ball flew past him and into the back of the net via the post.
Fellow Second Division side Middlesbrough were the visitors to Fratton Park in the Fifth Round. The tie ended in a 1-1 draw with Guy Whittingham scoring for the hosts and Alan Kernaghan scored for ‘Boro.
In the replay, the teams went into the game knowing that First Division Nottingham Forest lay in wait for the winners.
Portsmouth won convincingly 4-2, with two goals from former Southampton man Colin Clarke and Darren Anderton.
25,402 fans packed out Fratton Park for the Sixth Round tie against Nottingham Forest. A record gate receipts were taken at the game, with Pompey taking £208,000 from ticket sales.
A goal from Alan McLoughlin was enough to separate the sides and Pompey were in the Semi-Final of the FA Cup for the first time since 1939.
Pompey drew the toughest team in the semi-final in Graeme Souness’s Liverpool. Sunderland and Norwich City were the other semi-finalists.
Second Division Sunderland would go on and beat Norwich City 1-0 at Hillsbrough.
Highbury was to be the venue for the Portsmouth vs Liverpool tie, the first semi-final to be played there since 1984.
Some Everton fans had run on to the pitch to celebrate a late winner against Southampton in the last semi-final played at Highbury. This prompted the Football Association to give Arsenal an ultimatum; put up fences to prevent fans from getting on the pitch or they would no longer be able to hold semi-finals there. The Arsenal board refused to put up fences and eight long years had passed until the FA gave in and chose Highbury as the venue for the Liverpool vs Portsmouth semi.
The game was a tight and nervy affair, both sides having chances but failing to score. After 90 minutes, the game was goalless and went to Extra Time.
Darren Anderton scored six minutes into the second period of extra-time to send the Portsmouth fans into ecstasy. His composed finish past Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar was scored in front of the Pompey fans in the Clock End terrace.
Pompey’s hearts were broken five minutes later as Ronnie Whelan bundled the ball in from a couple of yards out.
John Barnes hit a free-kick from 25 yards out which hit the inside of the post and bounced along the goalmouth. Whelan acted quickest and ran in to tap in the rebound to force a replay.
in the Semi Final at Highbury
The replay at Villa Park was to provide more heartbreak for the Portsmouth fans. It finished 0-0 after extra-time and went to a penalty shootout.
Pompey captain Martin Kuhl took the first penalty of the shootout and fired his spot kick wide. John Barnes took Liverpool’s first spot-kick and sent Alan Knight the wrong way and side-footed his penalty into the bottom right-hand corner.
Kit Symons also sent Bruce Grobbelaar the wrong way and scored Portsmouth’s first (and only) penalty of the shootout. Ian Rush then scored for Liverpool, his penalty narrowly going inside the post and past Alan Knight, who had guessed the right way.
Warren Neill hit his penalty straight down the middle of the goal, giving Grobbelaar an easy save. Dean Saunders scored Liverpool’s third penalty after a huge run-up.
Left-back John Beresford had to score his penalty to keep Portsmouth in the competition, but fired wide. That was it, Pompey’s long cup run was over.
The cup run of 1991/92 has lived long in the memory of the Pompey fans who witnessed it. The bitterness of losing the semi-final to Liverpool was only cleared when Portsmouth reached the 2008 FA Cup Final.
In a close game with Cardiff City, Kanu’s goal for Pompey was enough to give the south coast club victory and their first FA Cup win for 69 years.
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