Pompey Unsung Heroes Eleven

Pompey Unsung Heroes Eleven

There’s nothing wrong with seven out of ten each game, as these steady Eddies demonstrated

Formation

Jamie Ashdown

After seeing off Messrs Chalkias, Westerveld and Kiely, Jamie Ashdown stood in David James’ considerable shadow for a large part of his Fratton Park career. A reliable shot-stopper Paddy holds the club’s post-war record for most minutes without conceding a goal (636 minutes) in 2011.

Ray Daniel

Brought in as a replacement for Newcastle-bound John Beresford, Daniel was an unheralded fixture in Jim Smith’s nearly men side of 1992/93 side. Never one to grab the back page headlines his attacking forays from full-back contributed greatly to the team.

Dejan Stefanovic

With a playing career that started at Red Star Belgrade and ended at Havant & Waterlooville, the trusty Serbian centre-half’s footballing path is one less trodden. However, his 112 appearances in the blue of Pompey were marked by an admirable consistency. A strong foil for De Zeeuw at the back.

Sylvan Distin

The statuesque stalwart holds the bittersweet record for the most appearances in the Premier League for an uncapped player. The often overlooked Frenchman’s defensive performances for Pompey earned him many admirers and an FA Cup winners’ medal.

Warren Neill

Wozzer Neill was one of three Pompey players to miss his pen in the shoot-out against Liverpool in that semi-final, yet his Fratton Park legacy should be judged less on his 12-yard blunder and more on the 260 dependable displays he put in during his stay.

Steve Bryant

A fixture in the 1979/80 promotion-scraping side, Steve Bryant put in a lot of hard yards covering for his skipper Joe Laidlaw and Terry 'Far Post' Brisley, both of whom liked to bomb ahead. The versatile Londoner could play in midfield, on the wing, or even slot in at left back. He made 111 appearances for the Blues, scoring five goals. 

Richard Hughes

Hughes was never what could be described as an out and out match-winner, more of a midfield spoiler, but he could always be relied on to put in a hard working shift. Highlights include a rare winner against Liverpool in the Cup, and his expert goading of Christiano Ronaldo – which lead to the moody Madeiran being sent off.

Martin Kuhl

The hard-as-nail midfield enforcer was the skipper of Jim Smith’s semi-final team (and another one those to scuff his penalty). Underrated at the time, he could pass, chip in with the odd goal and kick anything that tried to get past him. Sold onto to Derby County for a relatively big fee.

Hadyn Mullins

The quintessential seven out of tenner, at the outset of his Pompey career Mullins was surrounded by players of greater technical ability and struggled to make an impression. By the end of his Fratton Park tenure, he was surrounded by lower tier cloggers and shone as one of our star performers.

Lee Bradbury

He may be known as Lee Badbuy to Man City fans after his uninspiring spell up north, but during his two stints with Pompey Bradbury led the line with an unfussy and steely determination. Once elbowed Chris Evans squarely in the face during a testimonial game (much to his credit).

Terry Connor 

Connor broke many a Seagulls heart by joining Pompey from Brighton in a deal worth £200,000. He played upfront in the old First Division during the relegation season of 1988, and his solid performances went largely under the radar. He famously dinked one over the keeper in the derby at the Dell in a 2-0 victory.