At last! Portsmouth wait finally over for ex-Chelsea and West Brom man - 19 years after Fratton Park heartbreak

John Swift’s impending Pompey arrival represents third time lucky as the midfielder finally fulfils his Fratton Park destiny after 19 years away.

This is no hard-luck story, of course, with the former Brune Park Community School pupil so far amassing almost 400 career matches, in addition to earning England recognition at every youth age group.

Nonetheless, the day is here at last for the lad from Forton, Gosport, having initially been rejected by the Blues as an 11-year-old.

It has been a remarkable journey for Swift, who suffered several sizable set-backs as a highly-promising young player, yet fought back to feature for Chelsea in the Premier League.

Discarded by Pompey aged 11

As a 10-year-old, he represented Pompey’s youth set-up - only to suffer heartbreak when released by Academy boss Paul Hart at the end of his first and only season.

Discarded at the age of 11, Swift maintained his passion for football in Sunday League, featuring for Pace Sports, only to receive an offer from Chelsea to return to the Academy system.

However, after six months, he endured another brutal blow when the Premier League club opted to release him aged 12.

Within a year, though, following a growth spurt, Swift suddenly found himself in demand, with Pompey, Chelsea, Fulham and Southampton battling for his signature.

Presented with a choice, he opted for Chelsea rather than a Fratton Park return, having impressed in a three-day Stamford Bridge trial.

‘It’s hard to taken when you’re young and get rejected’

He told The News in May 2017: ‘It’s hard to take when you’re young and get rejected.

‘When I was released by Pompey I was young and just wanted to go and play football somewhere.

‘But then I was at Chelsea for six months and got released when I was 12. That was tough. I went back there a year later, but had grown a lot.

‘I was the tallest in the team all of a sudden and after one game I played well and ended up going back.

‘I was there until I left school and signed as a scholar - then at the end of the scholarship signed a pro contract.’

At Stamford Bridge, he progressed to earn a scholarship and, in 2012, having featured in every game of Chelsea’s capture of the FA Youth Cup, he earned a four-year pro deal.

They beat Blackburn 4-1 on aggregate in the two-legged final, with Swift playing the full 90 minutes of the decisive second leg 4-0 triumph in a team which also included Nathan Ake.

Swift made his Premier League debut in May 2014 after replacing Eden Hazard in a 2-1 victory at Cardiff - yet that would prove to be his only first-team appearance in his time at Stamford Bridge.

There were loan stints at Rotherham, Swindon and Brentford, although there was disappointment at Swindon when he wasn’t included in the League One play-off final squad against Preston in May 2015.

The Robins, who included future Pompey players Nathan Thompson and Michael Smith in their starting XI, subsequently lost 4-0 at Wembley.

Then, in July 2016, Swift left Chelsea for Reading, with Jaap Stam taking him to the Madejski Stadium on a three-year deal.

It proved to be an outstanding maiden season with the Royals, with the midfielder nominated for the EFL Young Player of the Year - although they lost in the Championship play-off final.

After a goalless 120 minutes, Reading lost the resulting penalty shoot-out against David Wagner’s Huddersfield to miss out on a return to the Premier League.

England Under-21 heartache

Weeks later in the summer of 2017, Swift suffered penalty shoot-out agony once more as England were knocked out by Germany in the European Under-21s Championships semi-final.

Swift appeared as an 86th-minute replacement for Will Hughes, with Nathan Redmond missing the decisive penalty to ensure Germany triumphed 4-3.

He would total 31 goals in 202 outings during six seasons with Reading, before moving on a free transfer to West Brom in May 2022, signing a three-year contract.

Having scored 19 goals in 126 appearances for the Baggies, including coming off the bench on 45 occasions, he was released from The Hawthorns this summer.

Now aged 30, Swift is back as a Pompey player - 19 years after Paul Hart showed him the exit.

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