Portsmouth favourites open up about time at Fratton Park for latest book in popular Blues series

The fourth instalment in an acclaimed series of Pompey books is coming out.

Played Up Pompey Four contains fresh interviews with 21 players, plus the Blues’ most successful manager over the last 70 years - Harry Redknapp.

The successor to Played Up Pompey (2015), Played Up Pompey Too (2017) and Played Up Pompey Three (2020) explores the Blues careers of those whose outstanding performances between 1968 and 2020 established them as household names and folk heroes among the Fratton faithful.

Hitting the shelves in September, if you pre-order before July 31, you can have your name printed inside it at no extra cost.

Those interviewed in Played Up Pompey Four include 2008 FA Cup-winning captain Sol Campbell, who also represented England during his time at Fratton Park.

Then there’s Teddy Sheringham, whose memorable hat-trick took the Blues to the top of the table in their maiden 2003-04 Premier League campaign, and home-grown Kit Symons, a former The News/Sports Mail Player of the Season whose distinguished domestic and international career began with Pompey.

Brett Pitman, Jamal Lowe and Gareth Evans were key members of the victorious 2019 Checkatrade Trophy final side, with League Two title winners Kal Naismith and Danny Rose, also included.

In addition, there’s Kevin Harper, a regular for Redknapp’s First Division champions in 2002-03, and Paul Hardyman, the local lad who established himself as part of Alan Ball’s Gremlins and secured promotion to the top flight in 1986-87.

There are 1992 FA Cup semi-finalists Mark Chamberlain, Chris Burns and Darryl Powell, and twice-promoted John McLaughlin, along with his 1979-80 promotion team-mate Terry Brisley in Frank Burrows' side.

Others include North End’s England international Steve Foster, future Everton FA Cup winner Barry Horne, ex-player of the year Richie Reynolds, the classy Adam Webster, popular attacker Paul Hall, and a member of the 1971 FA Cup side against Arsenal in Tommy Youlden.

As ever, those featured display remarkable honesty and openness. These are their stories, unfettered, unrestricted and uninhibited. Lifting the lid on dressing room life, providing supporters with fascinating insights and often blunt truth.

The success of these books entirely rests with the players and their willingness to speak with a welcome candour rarely found in football - and they haven’t let you down.

Played Up Pompey Four is priced at £18.99 although, for the first time, Bishops Printers will not be printing the series. Instead, respected sports book publishers Vertical Editions are handling it.

Should you pre-order the book from Vertical Editions’ website before July 31, your name will be printed in the book.

Please visit https://www.verticaleditions.com/product-page/played-up-pompey-4

Alternatively, it is also available on Amazon (although this doesn’t allow your name to be in the book) from amzn.to/4bDTmZf