Portsmouth fears over how faithful could play role in relegating their side from Championship this season

The Blues are worried over the prospect of a Fratton Park pitch invasion this term leading to their Championship downfall.

Their concerns arrive in the wake of the club being slapped with a £50,000 fine for the scenes at PO4, as John Mousinho’s men were crowned League One champions in April.

Pompey were hit with the financial penalty for failing to ensure spectators conducted themselves in an orderly fashion in the 3-2 success over Barnsley.

In the ensuing scenes it’s estimated around 13,000 fans took to the pitch in celebration, but Tykes defender Jamie McCart was struck by a supporter, an official hit with a vape and object thrown at a Barnsley player from a corner. An independent regulatory commission issued a 28-page report on the reasons behind the sanctions through the FA citing a ‘gross negligence level of culpability on the part of Portsmouth’.

Sporting sanctions

When sanctioning Pompey, the commission issued a warning to the club over its future conduct with a repeat offence leading to ‘sporting sanctions’ in the form of a points deduction.

The worst possible outcome would be for the Blues to keep themselves in the Championship on the final day at home against Hull - and then being hit with a loss of points which took them down, in the event of fans invading the pitch. That isn’t beyond the realms of possibility given the final-day celebrations at both ends of the table seen at Fratton Park over the years.

Reading currently have the spectre of a three-point deduction hanging over them until the end of the season, after their fans caused their clash with Port Vale to be abandoned last January.

Pompey’s statement released yesterday touched on those concerns and what a further pitch invasion this season could mean.

They said: ‘Supporters should note that the regulatory commission has warned Portsmouth FC as to its future conduct. This means that any further pitch incursions, no matter what the circumstances or scale, may result in further significant sanctions – and these may not necessarily be limited to a financial sanction.

‘Our club is immensely grateful and proud for the incredible support we continue to receive both home and away, and which makes Pompey so special. We remain committed to working together with all our supporters and collectively protecting the club from any future financial and/or sporting sanctions being imposed upon us.’