Pompey 0 Brighton 1
Once he strode across the famous turf some 10 minutes before kick off on Saturday anything else which subsequently occurred was always going to be an anti climax.
As it was, the finale proved
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Sadly Liam Lawrence's penalty miss and a second defeat in four days as a direct result ensured it wasn't a double celebration.
Mind you, not
ugg boots classic tall sand for women even a last gasp point would have wrestled the headlines from a player who didn't even
ugg men's classic short 5800 black boots lace up his boots for the clash with Brighton.
If ever there was a man to lift spirits amid an air of growing frustration among fans, the 33 year old Zimbabwean is he.
Sold against his wishes to Manchester City in January 2008, his imprint on Blues fans had been indelible.
When news emerged of his shock sighting at Fratton Park before the Brighton clash, the chatter grew ever more excited.
By the time he was introduced on the pitch clutching that number 25 shirt he famously wore, three quarters of the stadium exploded into a cacophony of noise.
It was a second coming for the free agent
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Certainly, his cameo was the perfect tonic for pepping up a south coast derby which attracted a hugely disappointing crowd of 16,496.
For all talk of new regimes and fresh starts, there remains an undercurrent of dissatisfaction among supporters aggrieved at pricing and the effectiveness of the club's transfer policy.
An abject showing against Barnet in the week had also done little to raise spirits.
Regardless, the Fans' Conference did their best to boost the atmosphere by securing 11,000 worth of sponsorship to supply 17,000 flags to all Blues supporters on the day.
That provided magical scenes reminiscent of Pompey forays into two FA Cup finals in recent years as both teams took to the field.
In fairness to Brighton, they played their part, selling out their allocation in the Milton end.
Again, though, it was the arrival of Benjani to the party as a surprise guest which really lit the touchpaper.
Ultimately, the match which unfolded was full blooded, niggly, aggressive and certainly hampered by the officiousness of referee Neil Swarbrick.
Fitting then that the decisive goal should be a scrappy effort, Craig Mackail Smith somehow bundling the ball home.
Coming on the stroke of half time it was to be another 45 minutes before Pompey came closest to scoring.
And that came in the form of a penalty awarded five minutes into stoppage time.
The outcome saw Lawrence strike the post before crumpling to the floor in disbelief.
Defeat was harsh on the hosts, particularly as it was a team performance unrecognisable from that served up against Barnet.
With four changes to the side that turned up that day or rather didn't Ricardo Rocha and Dave Kitson both found themselves on the
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In came Kanu and Jamie Ashdown, while Hermann Hreidarsson and Tal Ben Haim were back from international duty.
The response was certainly what Cotterill craved as his players cranked up the energy levels and displayed new found aggression.
An improved second half display also produced several great opportunities, particularly for David Norris.
Zenphoto
