‘I was shaking’: Abu Kamara pays tribute to Portsmouth faithful after emotional scenes on homecoming with Hull City

Abu Kamara admitted he was physically shaking on his Pompey return as he thanked the Fratton Faithful for welcoming him back with open arms.

And the League One champion paid tribute to Blues followers for the emotional reception they afforded him on his PO4 homecoming.

Kamara made his first return to the club he played a crucial role in helping to the League One title today, after delivering eight goals and 10 assists in a memorable loan stay from Norwich City last term.

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The 21-year-old was a wanted man by Pompey, but a move was never realistically likely to happen with Hull prepared to shell out £4.5m to secure the attacker’s services.

Pompey boss John Mousinho made it clear the Blues were never in the race to bring in the Londoner - and stated the winger deserved to be warmly received.

Emotional scenes followed the game as the man who made 51 appearances saluted Pompey fans, while the home crowd sung Kamara’s name and chanted ‘sign him up’.

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Kamara told how being back at Fratton Park hit him hard - and he felt he had to pay tribute to Pompey fans.

He said: ‘I haven’t forgotten what happened last year. It was a special group and Fratton Park was a special place to be.

‘So I just wanted to show my appreciation to the fans.

Hull City's Abu Kamara at Pompey last season.placeholder image
Hull City's Abu Kamara at Pompey last season. | The News

‘It was nice seeing everyone again and when I came into the stadium I was actually shaking.

‘Being here brought back so many memories - it was definitely good to be back here.

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Abu Kamara: Pompey fans were always there for me

‘When I came here last season I was a raw boy and those supporters had my back, so it was only right that I clapped the whole stadium because they were always there for me.

‘It wasn’t the case at all (he could come to Pompey), what happened happened and now I’m a Hull player - and I’m happy to be a Hull player.

‘It would honestly be great to see both clubs push on from here.’

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It was a big day for Kamara and Hull, as they secured a point which was enough to keep them in the Championship on a nervous final day for the visitors.

Christian Saydee cancelled out Matt Crooks’ first-half opener after the restart, with a draw bettering Luton’s defeat at West Brom.

A Pompey winner would have sent the Tigers down, making it nervy for the 2,160 away fans as the home side got on top in the second half.

Kamara admitted to breathing a sigh of relief when his team’s fans could celebrate avoiding the drop.

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He added: ‘We came here to get a job done and we did that to stay up in the league, so to know we’ll be in the Championship - I just feel relieved.

‘Our fans stayed with us from minute one. It was nice to know they travelled all this way and it wasn’t for nothing.’

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