As football battles for its soul - here's the Portsmouth fans who refused to let go through a global pandemic

And to others he couldn’t be further from what they want to be associated with, when they go to support their football club.

John Portsmouth Football Club Westwood remains a divisive figure among the Blues’ fan base, a Marmite man polarising opinion - revered and reviled in equal measure.

What can’t be disputed, though, is the unrelenting loyalty of the mainstay of the Fratton End choir and his unconditional love for our football club.

And in a week where football has battled for its soul, that unwavering allegiance resonates more significantly than ever.

The unprecedented events of the past 13 months have weighed heavily on the football fan, detached from the fixtures which form a central part of their being each week. They’ve also served to underline what football is without supporters; the reality is very little indeed.

Yet, as we settle for Pompey through the lens of various mediums, you may have picked up on a familiar part of the matchday soundtrack reverberating faintly from your TV screens and speakers.

It’s the sound of the bell, bugle, drums and accompanying chants which are heard around the country whenever the Blues are in town. That's because, within the confines of the law, Westwood wasn’t about to let Covid-19 stop him showing his passion for the star and crescent.

So, at every game home and away when allowed, Simon Milne, his son Oliver and Pompey’s most recognisable supporter have travelled, they have found a place around the footprint of the stadium and they’ve proceeded to sing their hearts out.

‘We’re just there making a noise and ringing the bell just to spur the lads on in any way we can,’ Westwood explained as he told of his behind-closed-doors matchday experience.

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‘Sometimes we’ve got vantage points, we’ve been on pallets, up trees and fences and on bushes and hoppers. Sometimes you can see and sometimes you can’t.

‘We found a bank which overlooked the ground at Southend, on a hopper at Brentford, up a tree at Stevenage and on pallets at Oxford.

‘We’ll do anything to watch the game as long as we’re not causing trouble.

‘Then we always wait for the team to go home and give them a send off.

‘We’ve spoken to Kenny Jackett, Joe Gallen, Guy Whittingham and John Marquis and they’re all really good about it.

‘We’ve always travelled when we can travel and when there was no travel at all we didn’t go. There’s been times we can’t go with the restrictions, and we knew we had to do our bit.

‘The stewards and police wherever we’ve gone have been absolutely brilliant. The stewards have given us cups of tea and bottles of drink.

‘At Crewe the police crept up behind me and said “boo!” They know we’re doing nothing wrong. There’s never been any trouble.

‘We’ve met other fans outside grounds and there’s been banter, but not animosity - we’ve even had fans singing the Pompey Chimes with us. They all think we’re bonkers.

‘It ticks the boxes, I’m still going to football, I’m still having a few beers and seeing other fans.

‘You’re defiant, you’re singing, you’re chanting and you’re cheering the team on to let them know what this city and our fanbase is all about.’

The sight and sound of Westwood and his bell has been the source of everything from amusement to bewilderment in press boxes up and down the country on a matchday.

Take the BBC Radio Wiltshire commentator who thought he was caught in some kind of PO4 dystopian flashback which led to him questioning his sanity on Tuesday night, as he heard distant ringing. No, that really is the bloke with the tattoos from Fratton Park and his bell.

The wobbly view perched aloft a stack of pallets on a flatbed truck garnered wider attention on Sky Sports, as they took in the play-off semi-final at Oxford last season.

There’s been kickarounds with the police, podcast interviews and lots of peering through cracks in shutters and fences to catch the merest glimpse of what’s unfolding a few metres away.

Some will commend the commitment, others will frown upon the antics and plenty will no doubt cringe at the behaviour of a 58-year-old on a quest to support his football club in any way he can.

But, at a time when callous steps have been taken to drag the game away from the people, there’s certainly also a poignancy to the tale of the Pompey folk who wouldn’t let go.

‘I’ve been going home and away for 40-odd years and I can’t not go,’ Westwood added. ‘It’s in my blood.

‘Even if we’re going to a game and supporting in some minuscule way, it has to be done. It’s just the way I am. I love the club and it’s a passion.

‘It’s representing the passion of Portsmouth and letting the players know what sort of club it is.

‘I vowed as a kid Portsmouth would never play without hearing the Pompey Chimes.

‘It’s just Pompey, the passion for it grabs you. It’s natural and it’s just something I have to do.

‘It’s the essence of football and the essence of Pompey Football Club, the passion is what it’s about.

‘It’s just pride in the club - we’re just trying to let the country know Pompey never dies.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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