Six of the best Portsmouth debuts for us to savour

 

LUKE NIGHTINGALE 

Pompey 2 West Brom 1 

November 21, 1998

It's Roy of the Rovers stuff from Luke Nightingale as the former Fleur De Lys youth player delivers a comic-book debut.

The match is billed as a shootout of the hot-shots as West Brom's Lee Hughes goes head to head with the Blues' arch poacher, John Aloisi. The injured Aloisi is withdrawn for Nightingale after Hughes gives the Baggies the lead after just 48 seconds, but the 17-year-old then scores two on a dream bow.

 

LASSANA DIARRA

Pompey 3 Derby 1

January 19, 2008

Lassana Diarra arrives from £5m from Arsenal and delivers a Rolls Royce of a debut.

Diarra went on to join Real Madrid for £19m a year later and for many is the highest-quality midfielder to wear a royal-blue shirt.

 

KANU

Pompey 3 Blackburn 0

August 19, 2006

The King scores a double and misses a penalty for his hat-trick as he gives Harry Redknapp's side an emphatic opening-day win.

'He was running around a park not doing anything,' said Redknapp on the man he brought in a few days ahead of the campaign.

 

YAKUBU

Pompey 3 Grimsby 0

February 1, 2003

It took four minutes of Yakubu's home debut to leave us in awe, as the Nigerian ace burned off Grimsby and left a chasing defender caught up in the net after slotting home his finish.

'I thought he was on a motorbike,' said Tim Sherwood as a hum of excitement went around Fratton and a Pompey star was born. 

 

ALAN BILEY, NEIL WEBB, ERNIE HOWE

Pompey 4 Sheffield United 1

August 28, 1982

Hopes are high after Biley's £100,000 arrival from Everton and he is joined on the scoresheet by Howe and Webb on the opening day.

Sheffield United are dispatched with a 4-1 defeat as Bobby Campbell's men go on to win the Division Three title.

 

PHIL ASHWORTH

Pompey 4 Darlington 3

October 6, 1979

Frank Burrows takes Ashworth out of Rochdale reserves and he fires in two goals and wins a penalty in front of a crowd of 16,692.