Pompey striker vote: Corporal punishes his rivals to be crowned fans' favourite

It started with him seeing his modern-day record of 42 goals in a ‘division two’ season – which he managed in Pompey’s promotion near miss campaign of 1992-93 – beaten by Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic.

But it ended with Pompey fans crowning him their favourite Blues striker of all time.

Corporal Punishment polled 59.6 per cent of 878 votes in the final against Svetoslav Todorov in the 24-hour Twitter vote, which closed yesterday to round off a three-week tournament which has seen Pompey greats from through the ages do battle with one another.

This, for those who have only just joined us, was the fifth and final vote in a series we have run over the course of the season to establish who readers’ favourite Pompey players are in each area of the pitch.

David James won the keeper vote, Linvoy Primus was fans’ No1 defender, Paul Merson took the midfield crown and Darren Anderton won the poll for wingers and wide midfielders.

These are all unscientific, unofficial votes run on my Twitter feed, designed for a bit of fun and some good-natured debate and never intended as anything official or never to be overturned.

Merse wins midfield vote.

Anderton is fans' favourite wide man.

Primus is defensive king.

Jamo named fans' top Pompey keeper.

In many ways the strikers’ poll was the most hotly contested of all – not surprising given how many great centre-forwards and goal aces have graced the Fratton Park turf down the decades.

To get a measure of what an accolade it is for Whittingham to win this vote, you just have to look back through the rounds to see the names that fell by the wayside.

Guy and Toddy reached the final by beating Kanu and Paul Walsh respectively in the semis, while the quarter-finals losers were also an esteemed bunch: Steve Claridge, Alan Biley, Yakubu and Ron Saunders. In the last 16, the losers were Brett Pitman, Conor Chaplin, Dave Kemp, Albie McCann, Ray Pointer, Mark Hateley, Ray Hiron and Mick Quinn.

With 64 Fratton forwards in the running originally, there were other favourites who fell even before that – Benjani and Billy Rafferty among those to suffer from unfavourable draws in the first round.

Few would disagree that Whittingham is a worthy winner. Plucked from the Army in 1989, he quickly established himself as a natural in front of goal and by the time he moved on to Aston Villa in 1993, he was a Fratton icon.

Then he came back for more, returning during Alan Ball’s second reign as boss in the 1998-99 season.

By the time he hung up his boots he had scored 115 goals in 226 games – just over one every two games.

He’s also, of course, served the club since as a coach and manager –and is still a familiar sight at matches now as a well-respected match summariser for Radio Solent.

Of the five players who have won our favourites’ votes, three have featured for Pompey only on this side of the turn of the millennium, two started their Blues lives 10 years or so earlier.

The five – James, Primus, Merson, Anderton and Whittingham – represent two memorable Blues eras and would make up a hell of a Pompey five-a-side team.

Thanks to everyone who has voted in any of the favourites’ polls this season. It’s been a blast. I shall have a break from it now. Unless... unless... anyone fancies a ‘favourite of favourites’ poll?

Watch this space...

@stevebone1 on Twitter