Billy Rafferty: I knew Mark Hateley as a kid - then he grew up and took my Portsmouth place

But despite their 45-goal haul under Bobby Campbell, the Scot never played for the Blues again following the May 1983 title clincher at Plymouth.

Later that month, Pompey recruited Mark Hateley from Coventry for a club-record £190,000.

In a 2017 interview for Played Up Pompey Too, Rafferty revealed how he knew all about the England under-21 international.

For he had played alongside Hateley’s dad, Tony, during his own time at Highfield Road, some 15 years earlier.

‘In the summer of 1983, Mark Hateley had been recruited from Coventry City and replaced me in the side, which had a certain irony about it,’ he told Played Up Pompey Too.

‘I came through the Highfield Road ranks and, during the 1968-69 season, had played for the reserves alongside Mark’s dad, Tony.

‘He was a lovely guy and, after joining from Liverpool, stayed in the youth hostel alongside us young players. I made him a cup of tea in the morning and he would drive us to the training ground in his brand new Mercedes.

‘Some mornings he would take Mark with him to training, he must have been aged around seven, and, during shooting practice, occasionally the lad climbed up behind the nets so was hanging off them.

‘Tony had to stop and take him round the side to keep him away from trouble!

‘It’s funny how it worked out - that same boy would 15 years later knock me out of Pompey’s team. I remember thinking ‘This has gone full circle, this little kid has now come and replaced me’.

‘Upon Mark’s Fratton Park arrival, though, you could see he possessed a lot of class and Bobby Campbell took him that step further than he would have gone.

‘I remained on a week-to-week basis, meaning I received the basic wage. Should Pompey ever stop paying me I could leave, denying them any potential transfer fee.

‘In early 1984, having been back in training for a fortnight following injury, Bournemouth manager Harry Redknapp phoned to inquire if I would be willing to train with them, which I agreed.

‘After the first day he wanted me to sign, but their offer of £3,000 was rejected by Pompey, who were demanding £15,000. It went to a Football League tribunal.

‘I was present at a London hotel for the ruling that Bournemouth must pay £4,000, with a further £4,000 scheduled following completion of 12 league matches the following season.

‘Harry couldn’t wait to get out of the place in case they changed their mind!

‘You could see John Deacon was fuming, while Campbell looked at me, gave a slight smile and winked.

‘My Fratton Park exit was sealed in February 1984 and done so with sadness. I really enjoyed my time with the club, having some great laughs with some great lads.

‘We won the Division Three title and I was club captain, then all of a sudden was forgotten, maybe not by the fans but people within the club. It reminds you how quickly things can change in football.

‘I had been looking forward to playing in Division Two for Pompey. I recall sitting in the South stand watching the second Fratton Park match of that season against Barnsley, in which Mick McCarthy was at centre-half for the visitors. Hateley and Webb scored in a 2-1 win.

‘It was an evening fixture and what an atmosphere - how I longed to be out there with my team-mates.

‘I would have loved the opportunity to replicate the way I had been playing in that title-winning season to see if I could continue being successful, but it wasn’t to be.’

Billy Rafferty made 112 Pompey appearances and scored 45 goals from December 1980 until February 1984.

Played Up Pompey Too, released in 2017, is still available from Amazon. While Played Up Pompey Three, which contains more of your favourite Blues players, is out in September.

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