Portsmouth chief Andy Cullen details how imminent Milton End changes will impact on Fratton faithful - and away attendances

However, visiting supporters will still be accommodated during the stadium work – albeit in an away end with a reduced capacity.

According to Andy Cullen, the final stage of the £11.5m Fratton Park redevelopment programme will take place at the end of October.

This focuses on rebuilding the Milton End to create a 3,200 all-seater for early 2024.

At present, the full usable capacity of the area is 2,000, with 1,899 catered for when Plymouth visited the Blues in their most recent fixture earlier this month.

When 700 or fewer visitors are expected for a fixture, Pompey are able to release additional tickets to also accommodate home fans in a segregated part of the Milton End.

Yet with work to initially commence in the south-east corner, that section will no longer be used.

While the visiting capacity will fall to around 1,600 for the foreseeable future as work continues.

Pompey chief executive Cullen told The News: ‘The Milton will close down from the end of October and that will enable us to crack on with the next stage of the programme.

‘We are moving to finish that over the course of next summer, which will impact on the capacity for the remainder of this season.

‘If we are able to sell every seat without segregation, Fratton Park’s capacity is currently around 19,200-400. Once Milton End work gets underway, we’ll probably get close to 18,800-900.

‘This won’t affect the home capacity and season-ticket holders whatsoever. It will not be like last season, where we’re having to relocate people in other stands for those works.

‘However, where we have low away crowds with fewer than 700 coming in, we won’t be able to put home supporters in the Milton End because there’ll only be one entrance in and one set of kiosks and toilets.

‘The way it currently works in the Milton End, it has a restricted capacity of 2,000. So if we have 1,200 or fewer, we can use one section – and if we have 700 or fewer, we can use the other section.

‘Obviously that flexibility won’t be available to us because we lose a section and the away supporters will be in one part of that stand.

‘There will be a small decline in away attendances. We won’t be able to get 1,900, so the capacity will go down to something like 1,600, not by too much.

‘Wherever there is a demand for a big away support, we should be able to cater for most of it.’

The Milton End’s development on the south-east corner of Fratton Park will include new toilets, a media suite and first-aid room.

Once completed, the stand will hold 3,200 away supporters – potentially coinciding with a return to the Championship, where larger travelling followings can be expected.

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