Sports Mail nostalgia – when Portsmouth ‘suffered more late misery’ in first EFL game with Cheltenham Town

In the build-up to every Pompey first team fixture in 2022/23, Roger Holmes will be looking back at a corresponding match by featuring an archive Sports Mail front cover and an inside page here at portsmouth.co.uk

Roger almost certainly boasts the largest collection of Sports Mails among Pompey fans - he has over 3,000 of them.

He wrote a weekly nostalgia page in the Sports Mail for most of the 21st century, right up until the end of last season.

With the Blues travelling to Cheltenham Town in League 1 on Saturday, Roger looks back to a dramatic finish to the first competitive game between the clubs in Gloucestershire nine years ago.

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Jermaine McGlashan’s last-gasp strike for Cheltenham Town denied Pompey their first away win of the season in front of 4,776 at Whaddon Road in September 2013.

It was the first competitive meeting between the two clubs, with Cheltenham only promoted from non-league football in the late 1990s.

Pompey took a fifth minute lead when Patrick Agyemang poked the ball past Scott Brown from close range for the fastest goal of the day.

McGlashan rounded ‘keeper John Sullivan and applied a neat finish for the equaliser in the 36th minute, but Johnny Ertl tapped into an empty net to regain the lead for Pompey on 44 minutes.

McGlashan stole in ahead of Sullivan to net his second of the match two minutes into stoppage time.

Cheltenham: Scott Brown, Keith Lowe, Ryan Inniss (Russell Penn), Steve Elliott, Sido Jombati, Jermaine McGlashan, Matt Richards, David Noble, Sam Deering (Byron Harrison 66), Steven Gillespie (Zack Kotwika 57), Terry Gornell.

Pompey: John Sullivan, Yassin Moutaouakil, Joe Devera, Sonny Bradley, Danny East, Jed Wallace, Johnny Ertl, Simon Ferry, Andy Barcham (Shaun Cooper 79), Ricky Holmes (Ryan Bird 79), Patrick Agyemang (Roman Padovani 79).

Pompey manager Guy Whittingham said that there was no need to press the panic button just yet.

The Blues were lying 17th in League 2 - their first season in the fourth tier since 1979/80 - and while Whittingham admitted that he would have liked more points, he remained encouraged by the start as summer signings found their feet.

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Chesterfield’s 1-0 home win against bottom club Accrington Stanley kept them top of League 2, four points ahead of Oxford United who claimed a 2-0 victory at Burton Albion.

The Spireites, managed by future Pompey boss Paul Cook, ended up winning the title.

Pompey finished 13th, four points and four places above Cheltenham.

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Conor Chaplin fired a late equaliser for Pompey Youth against Watford in the group stage of the Alliance Cup.

The Blues led through Lewis Horsburgh before strikes from Josh Doherty and Alex Takubiak put the visiting Hornets in front.

Pompey, who included Ben Close and Jack Whatmough in their side, fought hard to get back on terms and deservedly drew level.

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Two goals in the last four minutes consigned Havant & Waterlooville to a Conference South defeat at Bishop’s Stortford.

Christian Nanetti’s fine solo goal put Hawks in front but headers by Sean Francis and George Sykes killed off the visitors at the death.

Gosport’s winless start to the Conference South season continued as they went down 2-0 at home to Maidenhead.

The Hawks finished the season missing out on a play-off spot on goal difference, while Gosport - who reached the FA Trophy final in their first season at step 3 level - finished mid-table.