Pompey defender: My mum was among the pitch invaders

It was the '˜dream' epitomised by Christian Burgess noticing his mum among the Meadow Lane pitch invaders.
Christian Burgess is carried off the pitch at Meadow Lane by Pompey fans Picture: Joe PeplerChristian Burgess is carried off the pitch at Meadow Lane by Pompey fans Picture: Joe Pepler
Christian Burgess is carried off the pitch at Meadow Lane by Pompey fans Picture: Joe Pepler

On Monday, promotion became a reality on a day Pompey’s players, staff and supporters will never forget.

And the Blues’ outstanding central defender continues to pinch himself following the unfolding of those glorious events.

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Hoisted upon the shoulders of one supporter, Burgess was carried off the pitch following that 3-1 triumph over Notts County.

Captured by cameras, that image will surely reach iconic status and be reflected upon in years to come.

Burgess would see out the day in the Victory Lounge, singing, drinking and dancing with jubilant members of the Fratton faithful.

A truly memorable occasion for all concerned.

He said: ‘It was all a bit overwhelming being carried off the pitch.

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‘I was a bit surprised when the fan got me on his shoulders, he carried me a long way, too – he was sweating on the top of his head.

‘A bald guy nicked one of my boots, so I gave the other to the bloke who carried me when I later saw him in the Victory Lounge.

‘I made sure I kept the insoles, though, they are quite expensive and specially-fitted. The physio department would kill me if I let those go!

‘At one point I was on the guy’s shoulders and my mum was right in front of me!

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‘I shouted: “mum, what are you doing here?” She was on the pitch!

‘It’s a great picture of me with the fans and my mum has asked for a copy of the paper so she can pop it into a scrapbook.

‘It was kind of fitting to win promotion at Notts County, although I thought Luton would get a result at Mansfield to be honest. It expected it to be sealed at home to Cambridge.

‘Then I heard our fans cheering about Luton drawing and looked at Doyler (Michael Doyle) and Jack (Whatmough) and said: “I think we’ve done it.”

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‘It was just a dream – and the celebrations didn’t let us down.’

There will be a Pompey promotion party on Saturday as Fratton Park hosts Cambridge United.

It will be the opportunity for many supporters to descend upon Fratton Park and bask in finally escaping League Two after four years.

Although, many have already celebrated with Burgess and his team-mates at Frogmore Road.

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He added: ‘It was a bit steady on the team coach to start with as we’d run out of booze!

‘But Robbie Blake took our orders and we stopped off at a Co-op, then a trolley came on to deliver.

‘The Victory Lounge was great fun, they were great scenes. I was jumping on fans’ backs and everybody was singing and dancing. Then we went to Drift and the casino.

‘I couldn’t really believe there had been fans waiting for us at Fratton Park and it was fantastic to celebrate promotion with the fans.

‘There was drinking and all sorts of songs, special moments.’