Sports Mail nostalgia – landmark day for legend Alan Knight as Portsmouth banished relegation fears by beating Bristol Rovers

In the build-up to every Pompey first team fixture in 2022/23, Roger Holmes will be looking back at a corresponding match by featuring an archive Sports Mail front cover and an inside page here at portsmouth.co.uk

Roger almost certainly boasts the largest collection of Sports Mails among Pompey fans - he has over 3,000 of them.

He wrote a weekly nostalgia page in the Sports Mail for most of the 21st century, right up until the end of last season.

With the Blues hosting Bristol Rovers in League One this Saturday, Roger looks back to a late-season Fratton Park success 31 years ago …

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Pompey celebrated goalkeeper Alan Knight’s 400th league appearance by finally killing off any lingering Division 2 relegation fears with a comfortable victory over Bristol Rovers watched by 9,410 at Fratton Park.

On May 4 1991, Pompey raced ahead in the first minute when a defensive error allowed John Beresford to claim his second goal of the season.

Rovers enjoyed the majority of the possession and Carl Saunders levelled with a glorious volley on 37 minutes.

Steve Wigley re-poached the lead by clipping in a pass from Colin Clarke a minute before half-time, and Guy Whittingham stabbed home to seal the win three minutes into the second half.

Pompey: Alan Knight, Lee Russell, Ray Daniel (Darren Anderton), Warren Aspinall (Shaun Murray), Guy Butters, Graeme Hogg, Steve Wigley, Martin Kuhl, Guy Whittingham, Colin Clarke, John Beresford.

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Pompey Reserves’ final away game of the season ended in a 2-0 defeat at Watford.

Pompey: Andy Gosney, Shaun Gale, Jason Hall, Chris White, Kit Symons, Andy Awford, Mark Chamberlain, Chris Burns, Micky Ross, Andy McFarlane (Stuart Doling), Darryl Powell.

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Paul Williams scored a hat-trick for Derby County in the Rams’ 6-2 thrashing of Southampton at the Baseball Ground.

An own goal by Manchester City’s Paul Hendry was enough to settle the Manchester derby at Old Trafford.

Second Division leaders West Ham earned a 1-1 draw at Charlton while Oldham, in second place, were beaten 2-0 by Notts County at Meadow Lane.

Southend United clinched promotion to the Second Division for the first time as they won 2-0 at Bury.

There was a 12-minute hold-up in the Stoke v Grimsby Town clash because spectators invaded the pitch. The match ended in a goalless draw.

Aldershot, lying bottom of Division Four, suffered a 4-0 defeat at home to Walsall.

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Havant were crowned champions of the Jewson Wessex League after beating neighbours Horndean 2-0 at Five Heads Park with early goals from John Wilson and Steve Tate.

In the Beazer Homes League, Paul Moody’s second-half strike earned Waterlooville a 1-0 win against Rugby at Jubilee Park.

A minute’s silence was observed before the match in memory of Ron Stanton, a club stalwart for many years that included a spell as a director, who had died suddenly the previous evening.

Moody was to win a dream move to top flight Southampton in the summer, and would later play for Oxford United and Fulham.

Fareham lost 2-1 at home to Margate, the Reds’ consolation goal coming from Kevin Maddock.

Gosport Borough drew 1-1 at home to Witney and a Dave Milkins volley earned Newport a 2-1 win at Erith.