This was my first visit to Fratton Park and I was really looking forward to it, I'd heard a lot about the atmosphere so was looking forward to experiencing this first hand. The ground is easy to find and is only a few minutes walk from Fratton station, with trains going from bothLondon Waterloo or London Victoria direct to Fratton it really was one of the easier journeys I've made!. There are at least 3 burger vans on the short walk to the ground and there is also a supermarket and petrol station enroute if you don not fancy anything greasy.

My first thoughts on seeing the ground was that it was a world away from the Premier League but in a good way, these new stadiums lack any sort of character but that certainly can not be said for Portsmouth, from the graffiti on the perimeter walls of the ground to the toilet's, which are basically 3 walls with a gutter at the bottom, the ground brings a smile to the faces of those who can remember football before the Premier League was even thought of. The away end is basically seats screwed to the old terrace which can be a bit tight for leg room for anyone over 5ft 6", but with the addition of the new covering roof it creates a terrific atmosphere for the more vocal away fans.

The game itself was a little one sided with Tottenham winning in about every area of the pitch and deservedly getting the winner late on. The stewards were first class, friendly and easy going i.e. not hounding us to sit down for 90mins, the police were present but again let us get on with enjoying the match and not being heavy handed, just watching from the side of the stand. The one major disappointment for me was the atmosphere, or lack of in this case, from the home fans who were very subdued and I can probably count on one hand the number of times a 'play up pompey' chant rang out, it was left to the travelling fans to make the noise during this game and we duly obliged.

Coming out of the ground was a nightmare for us, it seemed to take forever to get to the exit for us yet somehow the ground was empty before I even reached the stairs down to the exit, this wasn't a major problem as we had won the game so was in good voice still singing and chanting while we were waiting to get out, upon finally exiting the home fans seemed to be long gone by the time we got out. The walk back to the station was a short one without any problems and with trains back to London frequent the queues were minimal.

Overall the day was a good one that passed smoothly and was made more enjoyable by the win of course, but anyone thinking of going should make the trip as its certainly worth it to experience a proper football ground.