All-conquering Portsmouth gunning to defeat Manchester City at St George's Park to claim historic treble and maintain Premier League dominance

Manchester City stand in the way of talented Pompey claiming an historic treble this weekend.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The all-conquering Pompey Amputees have already captured the Premier League and League Cup in 2021-22.

Now they’re scheduled to face their Manchester City counterparts at St George’s Park on Saturday in a televised encounter.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The fixture forms part of 2022 FA Disability Cup Finals which takes place on Saturday and Sunday, with trophies for six different categories up for grabs – partially sighted, blind, deaf, cerebral palsy, powerchair and, of course, amputee.

Pompey boast four current England internationals, while another four among their squad, including veteran Ray ‘Spike’ Westbrook, have also represented their country.

They will be wearing Danny Cowley’s first-team red and black third strip loaned by the club for the occasion, which will be broadcast at 12.25pm on BT Sport, YouTube and BT Sport’s Facebook channel.

And Callum Fowler, joint-head coach with Pat Link, is quietly confident Pompey can bring another trophy back to the city.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He told The News: ‘The domestic treble has never been achieved before, so this is the chance to make history.

Pompey Amputees are bidding to claim an historic treble on Saturday when they face Manchester City. Picture: EAFA (England Amputee Football Association)Pompey Amputees are bidding to claim an historic treble on Saturday when they face Manchester City. Picture: EAFA (England Amputee Football Association)
Pompey Amputees are bidding to claim an historic treble on Saturday when they face Manchester City. Picture: EAFA (England Amputee Football Association)

‘We have a talented group this year, but that doesn’t happen without hard work.

‘Yes, we’ve got a number who play or have played for England in recent years, but there’s also a nice mix of others who haven’t but train very hard, while we’ve also got some very big characters.

‘It’s the togetherness, the will to win. Some are getting fairly old in terms of how their body copes, but still possess the hunger and drive to win.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘Naturally they want to win everything and be part of history. It’s a really good group and not everyone can say they’ve been part of a domestic treble.

Pompey Amputees have already won two titles this season - the Premier League and League Cup. Picture: EAFA (England Amputee Football Association)Pompey Amputees have already won two titles this season - the Premier League and League Cup. Picture: EAFA (England Amputee Football Association)
Pompey Amputees have already won two titles this season - the Premier League and League Cup. Picture: EAFA (England Amputee Football Association)

‘I would say we’re favourites, purely based on our form this season, but Manchester City are a very good team and pushed us all the way in every competition this season.’

‘Sometimes you need a bit of luck on your side, there are so many different rules from mainstream football, as you can imagine.’

Amputee matches are seven-a-side played over 50 minutes, plus 10 minutes extra-time if required, on a nine-a-side pitch.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

There are no offsides, should the ball hit a player’s crutch it is classed as a handball, while kick-ins replace throw-ins.

In addition, keepers aren’t allowed to leave their penalty area and can only use one arm, with the other strapped inside.

Pompey Amputees won the four-team Premier League by beating off competition from Manchester City, Peterborough and Everton in a 15-game season.

The winners of the League Cup and Premier League are scheduled to face each other in the FA Cup.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

However, as the Blues claimed both titles, they will instead face second-placed Manchester City on Saturday.

The core of their squad are five locally-based players, consisting of Westbrook, TJ Yates (Leigh Park), Chris Waller (Bognor) Che Gray (Fareham), Roger Whitehouse and Matt Dean (both Portsmouth).

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

You can support our local team of expert Pompey writers by subscribing here for all the latest news from Fratton Park for 9p a day, thanks to our 30%-off transfer window deal.