The day Pompey's tenacious Iceman got a bit shirty

It’s not a ground the Blues have much luck on, with them yet to register a victory at Scunthorpe’s home since it was built in 1987.

But defeat was not on Hermann Hreidarsson’s mind when he travelled to Scunny with Pompey during the 2010-11 Championship campaign.

In fact, he got a bit shirty after the Blues rescued a point at Glandford Park back on that May 7 day.

No, the Icelandic defender wasn’t still reeling from the reported rollicking dished out by then-boss Steve Cotterill at half-time after a first-half performance that saw the visitors trail 1-0.

Nor was he visibly upset that the manager sent his side out for the second half a good three minutes before the opposition, making them wait around on the pitch for what seemed an eternity for the game to restart.

Instead, Hreidarsson had other, more important things on his mind at the end of the game – like retrieving his Pompey shirt from a Pukka Pies advertising hoarding on the roof of the away-end stand.

How on earth did it get up there? I hear you ask.

Well, the majority of the Pompey players – and Cotterill – threw items of their match-day kit into the Pompey end as a thank-you for the fans’ loyal support over a tumultuous season.

But Hreidarsson being Hreidarsson couldn’t simply throw his into the crowd and be done with it.

Rather, after winding his arm round several times to gain maximum distance in his throw, he ended up lodging his shirt in the advertising sign directly above him.

That explained why the defender left the pitch barely clothed after tossing the rest of his kit into the stands to make up for his earlier faux pas.

But determined to rescue the shirt, Hreidarsson returned to the scene of the crime when the crowds had dispersed and promptly set about trying everything possible to get it down.

At first he tried to reach it with a corner flag, only to realise straight away that it wasn’t long enough to do so.

He then reverted to using the flagpole as a javelin – a good comeback until it broke into pieces every time it landed on the seats below.

This prompted outbursts of laughter from those still loitering in the ground.

But as Pompey fans know, Hreidarsson’s a tenacious character and refused to give up.

And his perseverance was rewarded when he eventually managed to dislodge his shirt.

A lucky young Scunthorpe fan was beaming with delight when the now-sweaty Pompey favourite handed him the prized item after his efforts.

It probably wasn’t the same unsuspecting lad who Jamie Ashdown managed to land the ball on with an errant clearance in the second half of the game, though.

A memorable away day then – even if the 1-1 result has been quickly forgotten about.