‘We’re so grateful’: The message from the Portsmouth dressing room as faithful show solidarity in Blackpool battering

Conor Shaughnessy paid tribute to the Fratton faithful for their show of support in the face of their Blackpool battering.

Pompey were knocked off top spot and saw their 27-game unbeaten run come to a close in comprehensive fashion with a 4-0 thrashing.

But the home fans still showed incessant backing for their side, as they relentlessly sang of going up despite the scoreline.

The chants continued through the game’s finale and seven minutes of stoppage time until the final whistle - with Shaughnessy sending a message of thanks for the support.

He said: ‘The fans were outstanding and we’re so grateful for what they did.

‘Hopefully we can bounce back on Tuesday, take a big crowd to the Pirelli and put it right.

‘They were just brilliant and stuck with us right to the final whistle.

‘It’s great to them in full voice like that for 97 minutes when we’re 4-0 down.

‘I’ve heard about it, but that was my first experience of something like that here.

‘It’s great to know we have that support and it definitely makes us want to bounce back stronger.’

Despite the Blackpool setback, it’s been an outstanding run from Pompey stretching back to their last league defeat against Sheffield Wednesday in March.

Shaughnessy feels the endless chant showed a conviction in the Blues squad, which still firmly echoes around the club.

He added: ‘We feel a belief and I think everyone feels that now - fans, staff and players.

‘We have a really good group together. Everyone has a great attitude, is really together and believes in the same thing.

‘We’re all working towards the same goal.

‘It’s a really long season and something like this was bound to happen at some stage, whether it was 4-0 or not.

‘We were bound to have a blip and we’ve got it out of the way. Now we can move on and build back to winning ways.’