Rogers humbled to join Pompey Hall of Fame

Hundreds of supporters, former players and club officials packed into the Victory Lounge at Fratton Park last night to celebrate the annual awards evening.

Rogers and Gemma Hillier – the first Pompey Ladies player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame – attended the ceremony.

Mick Kennedy and Mark Hateley were unable make the event, while there was a posthumous induction for Alex Wilson.

After joining the Blues for £25,000 in the summer of 1979, Rogers made 190 appearances and scored 17 goals during his four-and-a-half year spell at the club.

And the former winger spoke of his pride after being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

He said: ‘It means everything to me.

‘I won’t tell my daughter it’s the best day of my life but in footballing terms, this is the best.

‘I’d had a few health issues previously. When I got the phone call telling me I’d be inducted, it was at the end of a week where I’d had a bit of good news and it kept coming – it rounded off a very good week for me.

‘Being at Pompey was the best time of my career, definitely.

‘No matter what club you come from, going to Portsmouth is a step-up – it’s fantastic.

‘Two things I knew before I joined were Jimmy Dickinson played 800 games for the club and the fans were a bit special.

‘It was everything I thought it was going to be and more.’

Rogers played a key role in Pompey gaining promotion from Division Four in the 1979-80 season and then capturing the Division Three title in the 1982-83 campaign.

The 63-year-old joins the likes of Alan Biley and Mick Tait who were part of that championship-winning side.

And Rogers revealed he is humbled to again rub shoulders with his former team-mates, along with the likes of Jimmy Dickinson and Duggie Reid.

‘I can see why people use the word humbling because it is,’ he added.

‘Looking at the pictures on the wall already and to join the likes of Jimmy Dickinson and Duggie Reid – players who were fantastic – is humbling.

‘Now I’ve got my hands on this trophy I’m not letting go of it.

‘I was counting and I’m the fifth player from the second promotion team to be inducted.

‘That tells you what a good side it must have been. I’m sure I won’t be the last one because there were seven or eight good players in that team.

‘The memory of my Pompey career that stands out was the start of it.

‘We hit the ground running and won the first 10 of our 11 matches and scored 50-odd goals during that time.

‘Being a wide player I was getting a lot of joy and the fans took to me.

‘I was glad to be at the club at the start of a revival as Portsmouth had been in the doldrums for a while, so myself joining coincided with the club turning their fortunes around.’