On this day: Gekas pleads for Pompey opportunity

The Greece striker arrived at Fratton Park five weeks earlier – but had failed to feature in either the first-team or reserves at that point.

Gekas was also left out of the Blues' match-day squad for their 1-0 defeat to Chelsea three days earlier.

It added up to a frustrating time for the Bayer Leverkusen loanee.

A former leading scorer in the Bundesliga, Gekas was regarded as a natural goalscorer who sprung to life inside the box.

The hitman wanted the opportunity to show Pompey fans what he could do.

He told The News: ‘I didn’t join the club to be sitting on the terraces. Not even for tourism.

‘I came here to try to help Portsmouth maintain their Premier League status and to find myself after almost six months of inaction with Leverkusen.

‘I understand the dismissal of Tony Adams didn’t help me.

‘It was a really bad coincidence for me, bad timing.

‘Mr (Paul) Hart doesn’t know me well and it’s normal turning to players he knows better.

‘But I am trying my best and I believe – through training – it is obvious my partnership with Peter Crouch can be really fruitful in attack.

‘I really want to get the chance to play and do my best on the field.’