The day Portsmouth favourite Paul Merson left Millwall fans mesmerised and Blues supporters wishing they had been there

The former Arsenal and England star moved to the Blues on a free transfer from Aston Villa in 2002, well into the twilight years of his playing career.

Then aged 34, the cultured midfielder had by that stage won more or less everything in the game, with league titles, FA Cups and European triumphs on his imposing CV.

He added to that my inspiring the Blues to the 2002-03 First Division title under Harry Redknapp, with his repertoire with the ball mesmerising the Fratton faithful.

Yet, according to the now 52 year-old, his most notable display in a Pompey shirt – the best game he’s confessed he ‘ever played’ – arrived on a day when no Blues fans were present.

Pompey turned up at Millwall on March 1, 2003, with no away supporters allowed into The Den because of previous clashes between the two sets of supporters.

Redknapp’s side were edging closer and closer to the title and would have loved their fans to be present for what was a tough fixture on paper.

Yet, come the final whistle both teams were worlds apart, with the Blues running out 5-0 winners.

A double from Yakubu, one from Tim Sherwood, an effort from Svetoslav Todorov, plus a Merson penalty sealed a mightily impressive win.

Lions fans were left shell-shocked by what they had just witnessed, with Merse pulling the strings.

Yet, to their credit, they gave the then Pompey skipper a standing ovation when he was substituted for Lassina Diabate in the dying minutes of the match.

Merson, speaking on Sky Sports’ Off Script Podcast, said it was the ‘biggest individual’ moment of his trophy-laden career and thanked Lions fans for their kind gesture.

It’s just a pity Pompey fans were unable to view it for themselves.

Merson revealed: ‘The best game I ever played in football in my whole life was at Millwall.

‘We played Millwall away and it was behind closed doors because Millwall and Portsmouth fans they don't really get on.

‘We won 5-0 and Harry brought me off about two minutes before the end.

‘Sorry, it was behind closed doors for Portsmouth fans, Millwall fans were allowed to go.

‘But with two minutes to go I got a standing ovation when I walked off and that was probably the biggest thing in my career, the biggest individual thing - to get a standing ovation at Millwall!

‘We know what Millwall's like, we know it's a hard place to go and play.

‘It was the best game I ever played.

‘Everything I did just happened, everything I hit, whatever I hit, it went to where it was meant to go, and I just remember afterwards, when I left the ground, there was an old man in the car park and he came up to me and he said "I've been coming to Millwall for 60-odds years and I've never seen that before".

‘And I thought "wow".

‘It was a massive thing for me.’

In his one season at Pompey, Merson scored 12 goals in 49 appearances.

The Blues won the title with 98 points to book their place in the Premiership for the first time.

In his same Off Script interview the former Fratton favourite admitted former Blues boss Redknapp was tactically more astute than ex-Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.