Even the strongest-looking men shed a tear in the stands as it dawned on the Pompey faithful they were set to enter Europe for the first time.

Others shook their heads in disbelief and hugged complete strangers as the Portsmouth players stepped up to shake football legend Sir Bobby Robson's hand and lift the prized FA Cup.

The roars from the crowd were deafening as 25,000 fans who had battled for a golden ticket to the final shouted, screamed, sang and clapped.

For this was the end of a very long and emotional journey to glory.

But if you looked closely, the watery glints in the eyes of many fans revealed their pride – and the knowledge this was the start of something even bigger.

Fans had travelled from all over the world in the hope of seeing Pompey win the Cup.

And they made the most of it – the atmosphere was unrivalled from start to finish.

Cries of 'Play Up Pompey' and 'when Sol goes up to lift the FA Cup, we'll be there' rumbled through the excited masses from dawn when many of them set off.

Hundreds were still singing when the last train transporting elated fans back home from London arrived in Portsmouth.

Earlier that day, visibly startled Londoners looked on as swathes of Pompey fans spilled out of packed trains into Waterloo Station on Saturday morning, sounding horns, waving banners and chanting excitedly, hungry for the action to start.

For one day only, parts of London turned Pompey blue as the world was shown what its football team is made of.

Many fans immediately made a bee-line for the tube. There was no danger of getting lost – it was more a case of spot the person who wasn't wearing a Pompey shirt as opposed to the other way round.

Less than half-an-hour later, they were there.

Many stopped at the top of the steps leading to Wembley Way to catch their breath and take in the enormity of what they could be about to witness.

Then they descended into the roaring crowds and made their way into the breathtaking stadium to take their seats.

You could almost reach out and touch the nervous excitement that rippled through the stands as 89,874 fans watched the crunch game.

The crowd went wild when Nwankwo Kanu put Pompey into the lead in the 37th minute.

But the tension mounted in the second half as fans held on for victory and a place in Europe.

At times it felt as though the final whistle was never going to come.

But when it did, the crowd erupted, bringing a lump to the throats of thousands who were part of the momentous occasion.

Fans stood and waved flags, tooted horns and cheered until they were hoarse – sponsors E.on said the noise reached a deafening 111 decibels.

This was the moment they had been waiting for – the dream they had dared to believe in had become a reality.

Speaking in Wembley Way at the start of a long journey home, James Abbott, 20, of Hatfield Road, Southsea, said: 'It's been a great day.

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We'll also be producing special FA Cup editions of The News on Monday and Tuesday.

If you live outside the circulation area, you can buy it online.

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