AFC Wimbledon newcomer Lee Brown's emotional Portsmouth goodbye: Farewell to a fantastic club that gave me fantastic memories

The left-back this week bid farewell to Fratton Park after three-and-a-half years, during which he amassed 131 games and six goals.

Having been informed by Danny Cowley that he was surplus to requirements, the 31-year-old clinched a switch to AFC Wimbledon in a whirlwind move.

After arriving at Pompey on a free transfer from Bristol Rovers in June 2018, Brown wore the captain's armband, played at Wembley twice, won the Checkatrade Trophy, and featured in two League One play-off semi-final campaigns.

Inevitably there remains regret how Kenny Jackett’s men failed to win promotion in 2018-19 after being five points clear on New Year’s Day evening.

Nonetheless, Pompey and their supporters have handed Brown 'fantastic’ memories that he will forever hold dear.

He told The News: ‘I can’t speak highly enough of my time at Pompey, I really can’t.

‘I have some fantastic memories, met some fantastic people, and look at my time there as a real positive.

‘We’ve had Wembley trips, won the Checkatrade Trophy, been at the top of League One, in fact hung around the top end of the league the whole time I was there - apart from lately.

‘Other than promotion, I’ve probably done what I wanted to do at Pompey. I think I served her well – and they have definitely looked after me.

‘Not going up that 2018-19 season is a regret. If we look back, it’s probably the one where we’d say that was the year we should have done it.

‘The first five months I was at the club we lost twice in the league by Christmas. We had everything, we were scoring goals, keeping clean sheets, everything. Sometimes that’s just how it goes.

‘We were top of the league and needed a good January and didn’t get that. As much as the recruitment team make the decisions and tried, it didn’t materialise.

‘Life could look a bit different now if we had, we were inches away, but if it isn't meant to be, then it isn’t meant to be.

‘That was the best team I played in at Pompey, although we’ve actually had good sides every year and been there or thereabouts.

‘I can take all the positives, I’ve had some fantastic times and met some fantastic people. All the players that have come and gone while I’ve been there, there’s been good characters who I still speak to now.

‘But every good thing has to come to an end sometime – and unfortunately this story has had to come to an end pretty quickly.

‘The fans have been incredible to me as well and I thank them for that.

‘Do you know what? It’s always the way isn’t it, you don’t realise what you've got until it has gone.

‘Well, Pompey has gone now and I’ll really miss it, but I look at it as a good period of my life.’

Brown was handed an instant debut for Wimbledon in Saturday’s home clash with Shrewsbury.

And the former QPR apprentice is relishing his new footballing challenge.

He added: ‘I’m back home, it’s my local club, I’ve signed a two-and-a-half-year contract, it's a fantastic club with fantastic history. I only see positive things.

‘One door has shut and another has opened, now I’m going to attack this as much as I attacked Pompey when I first signed.

‘Hopefully I can have a positive impact at Wimbledon.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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