The Fratton family: League One boss signs his eighth ex-Portsmouth player in 11 months

A Football League manager has recruited his eighth former Pompey player in 11 months in a bid to drive promotion ambition.

Steve Evans has little affiliation with Fratton Park, although generally spoken glowingly about the club and with plenty of respect.

Nonetheless, he has amassed quite an ex-Blues contingent since last summer at Stevenage - and now newly-relegated Rotherham.

Sean Raggett last week joined fellow Pompey League One champion Joe Rafferty at the Millers in a busy start to their transfer business.

Evans has also recruited Jonson Clarke-Harris, Shaun McWilliams and Reece James during a sprint start to recruitment, having himself arrived at the New York Stadium last month.

Of course, the much-travelled manager is no stranger to signing former Blues players - having snapped up six in the 2023-24 season.

Brothers Louis and Nathan Thompson, Ben Thompson, Dan Butler and Harvey White all arrived during last summer’s transfer window.

And if that wasn’t enough, former The News/Sports Mail Player Of The Season Craig MacGillivray was taken on loan from MK Dons in January.

They helped Stevenage finish ninth, including holding John Mousinho’s men to a goalless draw in August before losing 2-1 at Fratton Park on New Year’s Day.

For the majority of the campaign they’d been strong promotion contenders until fading during the run-in, with two wins from their last 12 matches ultimately seeing them fall short by five points.

Although Evans missed the final two fixtures having quit to take over at Rotherham, following the dismissal of former Pompey assistant manager Leam Richardson.

Regardless, that is now eight ex-Blues players signed inside 11 months and six days - or, to be precise, 341 days.

Of those recruited for Stevenage, Louis Thompson and Butler featured in the most in 2023-24, both totalling 48 appearances.

Ben Thompson scored twice in 38 outings, although primarily off the bench, while Nathan Thompson’s 31 games were impacted by injury and a Fratton Park red card for an awful challenge on Christian Saydee.

White, who spent time at Pompey on loan from Spurs, featured for Boro just 18 times, with just four league starts, while MacGillivray made 11 appearances, but found himself on the bench at times.

With Evans now at Rotherham, the signings of Rafferty and Raggett look extremely shrewd, having been regulars for a Blues side which won League One by five points.

There is, of course, one former Pompey loanee already in the Millers squad, inherited by their manager - Andre Green.

Although the match hero against Norwich in the FA Cup has featured just 10 times this season after sustaining an Achilles injury during training in October.