'Classy' Portsmouth earn praise for touching act of kindness towards non-league club

The Blues have handed back their share of gate receipts to the non-league club, following last month’s Hampshire Senior Cup encounter.

In a closely fought affair at the Winklebury Sports Complex, Pompey progressed into the third round courtesy of a 5-4 penalty shoot-out success.

A total of 914 fans attended the mid-week fixture, with a large percentage made up of the Fratton faithful who had travelled to northern Hampshire.

And Basingstoke have today learnt of the Blues’ decision to pass up the gate split they are entitled to.

The Dragons’ chairman, Jack Miller, took to Basingstoke’s official website to express his gratitude.

Miller said: ‘It’s a classy gesture and it’s very much appreciated by all of us here. The game itself was a great encounter, played in great spirit and all within a terrific atmosphere.

‘Despite the eventual narrow loss on penalties, I’m sure everyone enjoyed the evening and experience, particularly with so many of their first team on show.

‘The gesture typifies every encounter we had with them since the announcement of the game, the match itself and of course, this generous offer – they’ve been first class throughout.’

The Blues are yet to find out who they will face in the third round, with round two still to be fully completed.

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