Portsmouth, Swindon and Republic of Ireland mourn passing of Alan McLoughlin

The Blues Hall of Famer had fought a lengthy battle with cancer, most recently with a tumour discovered in his vertebrae.

McLoughlin, lovingly known as ‘Macca’ to all, made 361 appearances and scored 68 times for the Blues.

He arrived from Southampton in February 1992 and during the next seven-and-half years established himself as a hero of the Fratton faithful.

The goalscoring midfielder and Republic of Ireland international was a key member of the side which reached the 1992 FA Cup semi-final, netting the winner against Nottingham Forest in the quarter-finals.

The following season he bagged 11 goals as Jim Smith’s side finished third in Division One, subsequently losing out to Leicester City in the play-offs.

Through Pompey managerial changes, McLoughlin remained a first-team fixture and a firm favourite among supporters.

He later served the Blues as an Academy coach, before progressing into the first-team set-up.

McLoughlin was first-team coach assisting caretaker boss Andy Awford when Pompey successfully fought against relegation from the Football League in 2013-14.

He left the Blues in December 2014, later working in Swindon’s youth set-up, another club where he is regarded so highly.

McLoughlin remained a visitor to Fratton Park through radio commitments with talkSPORT and BBC Radio Solent, appearing at several Pompey games this season.

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