An emotional homecoming for Portsmouth favourite: West Brom man back at Fratton Park after nine-year absence

Approaching nine-and-a-half years later, Jed Wallace is poised to return to play at Fratton Park for the first time since that emotional farewell.

Having featured for Wolves, Millwall and West Brom over the last decade, their paths have rarely crossed since, except a Carabao Cup encounter at The Den in August 2021.

On that occasion, the travelling Pompey fans provided a rendition of ‘Super Jed’ upon the Millwall attacker’s second-half substitution, a touching gesture acknowledged by their former hero, who applauded in response.

Now, having left in May 2015 seeking his fame and footballing fortune, Wallace finds himself booked in for a homecoming on Sunday with the Baggies.

He has returned before, of course. As the husband to Mark Catlin’s daughter Abbie, there have been times the 30-year-old has occupied the directors’ box as an invested onlooker.

Yet not since a 1-1 draw against York has Wallace featured on the Fratton Park turf, a fixture which represented an inevitable goodbye after 121 games and 30 goals - while also departing as the newly-crowned The News/Sports Mail’s Player of the Season.

He subsequently made a £700,000 switch to then-Championship Wolves and these days is skipper of West Brom, where he has scored 12 goals in 98 outings.

Wallace had arrived at Fratton Park as a 17-year-old from Ryman Premier side Lewes in August 2011 following a successful trial, having been recommended by boss Steve King to Blues physio Steve Allen.

Asked to train with the Academy, he caught the eye of watching first-team boss Steve Cotterill and was selected among the senior players in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Swindon as a triallist.

Such was Wallace’s favourable impact, he was subsequently offered a three-year deal and 12-month club option.

Although one of nine players handed his debut by Michael Appleton in the League Cup at Plymouth in August 2012, he would later be loaned out to Whitehawk and marked his Isthmian League Premier Division debut with a goal against Wingate & Finchley in front of a crowd of 73.

Barely five months later, Wallace was a fixture in Pompey’s team and on stand-by for England Under-19s against Turkey.

A return of 12 goals in 13 matches for Whitehawk had seen him recalled by the Blues on Christmas Eve by caretaker boss Guy Whittingham and, from that point, he remained a first-team regular until the day he left.

Wallace lit up a bleak era, with a confidence and swagger which belied his teenage years and inexperience he established himself as a bright prospect and fans’ favourite.

Hugely likeable, he demonstrated energy, commitment, endeavour and a frequent eye for goal from the right flank. The Fratton faithful were short of heroes, yet he stood up.

Then, in May 2015, at the age of 21, Wallace felt the time was right to leave after Pompey ended the 2014-15 season 16th in League Two - the lowest Football League finishing position in the club’s history.

He told Played Up Pompey Too in 2017: ‘As that last year wore on, emotionally I felt I had done my time and needed a change. I started off as the worst player at Pompey and, in my opinion, worked my way into the best player and believed it should be a continuous journey.

‘There had long been a negative feel around Pompey through our demise down the divisions and I needed to experience something different. As soon as I knew we weren't getting promoted my decision was made.

‘If the club had been in the Championship I would have remained forever, no doubt about that.

‘Jose Mourinho could have come in as Pompey’s manager but I was always going to leave in the summer of 2015. They could have handed me £10,000 a week, but it wasn't about finances. I just had to play in the Championship and be around better players - I don’t know how I could have improved any more at Fratton Park.

‘I scored 17 goals that final season. If I had stayed, people would have expected me to get 25 goals the following campaign - if I’d scored 10 it would be “He’s rubbish, what’s happened to him?”.

‘If I broke my leg at Wolves I could go on loan at Pompey to get my fitness back. If I broke my leg at Pompey I would go on loan to Bognor Regis Town to get my fitness back, that’s the difference.

‘Everyone said we were going to go up the following year, but people also insisted we were going to go up under Awfs. I couldn’t keep staying for one more season - do I stay in League Two until I am 26?

‘I was gutted to go but it was special to have a Fratton Park farewell in a 1-1 draw against York City for our final match of the season - and my mum, dad and sister were there to see it. 

‘It was very emotional with the fans, but the right time to go.’

And on Sunday, he’s back - albeit for one match only.