Shaun Derry: Kev McCormack and Barry Harris are why Portsmouth is such a special club

Former skipper Shaun Derry has hailed Kevin McCormack and Barry Harris’ immense Pompey contributions.
Shaun Derry has praised Kev McCormack, pictured, and Barry Harris for making Pompey such a special club. Picture: Joe PeplerShaun Derry has praised Kev McCormack, pictured, and Barry Harris for making Pompey such a special club. Picture: Joe Pepler
Shaun Derry has praised Kev McCormack, pictured, and Barry Harris for making Pompey such a special club. Picture: Joe Pepler

And he is convinced they signify why the Blues are a ‘special club’.

The backroom pair are Fratton Park mainstays, proving tremendously popular with players, managers and coaches who have encountered them through the decades.

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Kitman McCormack joined Pompey in the summer of 1999, while Harris has been involved since 1952 in a variety of roles, most recently as bootman.

Derry spent two-and-a-half seasons with Pompey before leaving for Crystal Palace in August 2002.

And he continues to cherish his Fratton Park returns to catch up with the ageless pair.

Derry told The News: ‘When you think of Pompey, for me I think of Barry and Kev.

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‘The majority of kitmen are crazy, they’ve got to be, but they love the club. You should always have a kitman who loves the club.

‘I know the job has now changed, but it is generally about the community. It’s someone inside the dressing room who represents that particular part of the community.

‘That’s Kev, an absolutely top bloke. He’s tough, he’s hard, his background is very much working class and that’s Pompey. That's what it represents to me, this special club.

‘Every day we tried to wind him up. We’d have him on toast until he got you in a bearhug – and there’s only one winner there!

‘He had a massive snap on him – the big daft crocodile.

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‘When me and Carl Tiler were training at the Navy barracks one time, big Kev knew all of them there because of his history.

‘We were winding him up, making out we didn’t believe he fought for Wales in the Commonwealth Games. It was basically: “You are just lying, there’s no footage of you Kev. You’re lying”.

‘Then I gave him a challenge: “Tell you what Kev, we’ll give you six weeks to get fit – then we’ll both go into a ring with you and fight. Me and Carl against you”.

‘So he got himself fit – and we pulled out the day before. We had absolutely no intention of getting into that ring with him!

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‘He was fuming. It was: “For six weeks I’ve stopped smoking, I’m eating right”.

‘But there was no way we were getting into a ring with him. Did he think we were mad?’

Derry has been back to Fratton Park on numerous occasions since his departure, both in terms of his playing career and managing Cambridge United.

And he can always rely on a warm welcome from those dressing room stalwarts.

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He added: ‘Kev’s the only kitman who tries to get into a medium-sized top.

‘I remember the time when Crouchy was moving into his place in Port Solent, so we got Kev to help.

‘We’d told him: ‘Kev, all you’ve to do is push this sofa up this little wall to Crouchy’s first-floor flat – which was about 16ft up!

‘Me and Courtney Pitt stood at the top of the balcony, with big Crouchy trying to pull it and Kev trying to push it. It was so funny, I have never seen anyone have a sweat on like it.

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‘Kev was going up reverse on this ladder, with the couch on his back. We were crying.

‘The neighbours must have thought “What the hell is this? Who’s moving in here?”.

‘That’s Kev, part of the club and the kind of guy football is all about. They are the people who make football clubs what they are.’

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