MARLON PACK always dreamed he would play for Portsmouth in a south coast derby.
As a starry-eyed 12-year-old he watched from the terraces in 2004 as Yakubu earned Pompey their first win over Southampton at Fratton Park since the 1960s.
Boyhood Pompey fan Marlon Pack now captains his hometown clubCredit: Shutterstock
Pack watched on from the Fratton Park stands as Yakubu helped beat Southampton in 2004Credit: Alamy
And he was there again the following year as battered their rivals 4-1 — when returned to the club as SAINTS manager!
As a fan who grew up on the city’s Buckland Estate, this derby means everything — and he is desperate to play in Sunday’s noon showdown at an hostile Fratton Park.
The Pompey captain, 34, told SunSport: “This game is more than a football rivalry. It’s one that is steeped in history and hatred.
“When you’re born and bred here, you have no choice but to be a Portsmouth fan. There’s a real island mentality.
“Ever since it was clear we’d both be in the same division this season, it’s all anyone has been talking about — this derby.
“I’ve sampled it as a fan but not yet as a player. I couldn’t get fit in time to play in the after knee surgery — but I’m raring to go for Sunday.
“I know . Even people not at the stadium, watching at home on TV, are going to feel the atmosphere.
“The first derby I went to was the year Pompey got promoted to the Premier League and we won 1-0.
“That was a crazy day and there was a lot of crowd trouble.
“But my favourite was the 4-1 derby demolition. That was such a hostile atmosphere with the whole pantomime of Redknapp returning. It is a win that is etched in Portsmouth history.
Pack came through the Pompey ranks from the age of sixCredit: Instagram @marlonpack21
A sold-out Fratton Park awaits the Pompey and Southampton players on Sunday lunchtimeCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
“I’ve told all the lads here that they will have never experienced an atmosphere like the one that will be at Fratton Park this weekend.
“They got a sample of it earlier in the season — but it doesn’t compare to how it will be in front of a sell-out Pompey crowd.
“This is more than a game — so you can’t approach it like you would any other.
“You must be smart and don’t let the occasion make you do anything silly. However, when there’s an opportunity to fuel the crowd at the right moment, we should do that to our advantage.”
Pack has not only been a lifelong fan — but came through the youth ranks from the age of six to signing his first professional contact with the club aged 18.
He used to volunteer sweeping the floors of the dressing rooms after Premier League games and cleaned the boots of his heroes.
The midfielder said: “We won the in 2008 during Redknapp’s second spell while I was in the first year of my scholarship. That team spoke for itself.
“Kanu, , Hermann Hreidarsson, Lassana Diarra, , , , Sylvain Distin, Sulley Muntari, Niko Kranjcar. It was a great time to be a Pompey fan.
“And I used to rub shoulders with them. I remember playing table tennis against Sean Davis and Gary O’Neill, who used to bring in his own bat. On one occasion Redknapp brought in a table tennis champion!
Pack cleaned Niko Kranjcar’s boots shortly after he had scored at Wembley to KO England’s Euro 2008 dreamCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
“On Saturdays, we’d play our youth games at 11am and it’d be a rush-back to get to Fratton Park.
“And we’d usually have about four of us youth players on duty on a matchday.
“So we’d clean the dressing rooms, we’d be slaves for the kitman, we’d make the teas and coffees, collect the balls.
“But the biggest thing I loved was not just rubbing shoulders with the Pompey players but also those from the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool.
“I remember being in the small hallway in the tunnel area shaking Alex Ferguson’s hand at a tender young age.
“It was such great grounding — kept you level and inspired you to get to where they were.”
But Pack revealed there was one task he did not enjoy — cleaning Niko Kranjcar’s boots.
He said: “I used to clean Armand Traore, Sean Davis and Niko’s boots.
“But on one occasion Kranjcar scored for Croatia against England at Wembley when Steve McClaren was manager. They won 3-2 — which meant we didn’t qualify for Euro 2008.
“The next morning Niko reported to training and I had to clean his boots, which still had the Wembley mud all over them.
“I had to reluctantly clean them — knowing these boots helped knock England out.”
Pack joined Cheltenham before establishing himself in the Championship with Bristol City and CardiffCredit: PA:Press Association
Pack went on to make one first-team sub appearance in the following Pompey’s relegation in 2010 but got loaned out to League Two club Cheltenham before joining them permanently at the end of that season.
He went on to spend six-and-a-half years with Bristol City and another two-and-a-half with Cardiff before returning home to Pompey in the summer of 2022.
The midfielder captained the side to the League One title and promotion to the Championship as well as beating the drop last season.
Pack hankers for Pompey to one day return to the Premier League — admitting fellow south coast clubs Bournemouth and Brighton establishing themselves at the top level has left him envious.
But getting a derby win tomorrow would be a huge moment in the history of the club,
He said: “I got a lump in my throat when I got a message from a fan who I grew up with after we got promoted, saying, ‘Oh mate, you’ve given my son the best year as a Pompey fan.’
“I’ve told my team-mates to embrace this game. If we win and someone scores the winner, they’ll be a hero forever.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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