Pompey fans are left deflated by defeat
They might have enjoyed an extended party in Braga, but Pompey fans were feeling punch drunk after seeing their side outclassed in the Uefa Cup last night.
Harry Redknapp's side crashed to a 3-0 loss in the first fixture of the group phase of the competition, but Blues fans insisted the result had to be kept in perspective as Pompey's maiden European campaign suffered its first real setback.
Blues fan Gary Martin, 49, from Purbrook said: 'I was very disappointed by the performance on the night.
'Our final ball and crossing let us down. With Peter Crouch in the middle to aim at, we should be better than that.
'But we've got to keep things in perspective – it's nice to even be able to go on a trip like this. It's a shame about the result, but at least we can say we were there to see Pompey in Europe.
'We never thought we'd see that day a few years ago and we'll bounce back from this.'
Before the disappointment of the result, Blues fans were in jovial mood as they congregated in Braga town centre early yesterday morning.
Around 800 Blues fans made the trip to the picturesque town in northern Portugal – just 20 miles down the road from Guimaraes where the club took their first steps into Europe three weeks ago.
But Pompey supporters again ignored the global financial problems and turned out in their numbers to continue their blossoming relationship with the locally-brewed Super Bock lager and the glorious Portuguese October sunshine.
Just as it had in Guimaraes, the party atmosphere started early with fans congregating at the town square and enjoying the pavement cafes and bars.
Flags and blue shirts provided plenty of added colour to a sunny afternoon, while the familiar chants and Pompey Chimes rang out with gusto several hours before kick-off.
Perhaps wisely, the fountain in Braga's town square had been shut down for maintenance to rule out any impromptu pool parties.
The day had started as early as 2am for some fans to catch the early flights out of London, but most were in good spirits despite the sleep deprivation.
Mark Collins, 28, from Emsworth said: 'We were out here three weeks ago, but we enjoyed it so much last time, we all wanted to come back again.
'It's a lot of money to follow Pompey – especially in Europe – but we may never get the chance to do this again, so we're making the most of it while we can.'
Mick Ewen, 57, from Hornchurch in Essex has been following Pompey since 1956 and travelled out alone for his first taste of Pompey in Europe.
He explained: 'My son is a West Ham fan but I've got Pompey in the blood. I couldn’t make the Guimaraes trip but there was no way I was going to miss this one.’
Meanwhile, there were roars of laughter among the bleary-eyed passengers on the Thomson Sport trip for the 8am flight from Gatwick yesterday morning as the captain of the Jet2 aircraft welcomed PLYMOUTH fans on board in his pre-flight address – before quickly correcting himself.
One passenger chuckled: ‘I knew it had all been a dream that Pompey had qualified to play in Europe!’
A minor skirmish in the away section caused concern during the latter stages of the first half with police moving in to deal with the problem. But reports from witnesses later suggested that a minor disagreement between two friends had simply got out of hand after an afternoon’s drinking had taken its toll.
steve.wilson@thenews.co.uk
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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