Emotional Portsmouth boss dedicates Stoke victory to tragic supporter who died at Fratton Park
An emotional John Mousinho dedicated Pompey’s victory over Stoke to tragic supporter Alec Lumb.
The 63-year-old from Gosport passed away at Fratton Park on Saturday while attending their Championship clash with Middlesbrough.
A subsequent crowdfunding campaign has so far raised £15,542 for the former Royal Navy serviceman’s family, with players Marlon Pack and Josh Murphy, along with director Eric Eisner contributing.
Before tonight’s fixture with Stoke, Mousinho laid a wreath on Lumb’s North Stand lower seat.
And, following a 3-1 success which lifted the Blues into 18th position, the head coach dedicated the result to the late fan.
Mousinho told The News: ‘It was a really emotional day for everyone on Saturday learning that Alec had passed after the game.
‘Andy Cullen had spoken to his partner and while it was such a sad moment, there was a lot of comfort in the fact Alec had passed away doing what he loved at Fratton Park.
‘Tonight was certainly a performance that Alec would be proud of - and I think it’s well worth dedicating the win to him.
‘We were looking through some of the tributes and people were saying “Forever part of the Pompey family” and that’s the way it should be, particularly with life-long fans.
‘It’s a bit cliched, but we all know the fans are the lifeblood of this football club. One of the things I have always spoken about since I took the job is they make this football club very, very special.
‘We are very, very lucky to have the support that we do and supporters like Alec make that happen.’
The Blues raced into a 2-0 lead after nine minutes through Colby Bishop’s penalty and Callum Lang.
Stoke’s Ben Wilmot pulled one back on 27 minutes, but Connor Ogilvie’s third goal of the season just four minutes into the second half sealed the success.
The result leaves Pompey three points clear of the relegation zone with a game in hand - and leapfrogging over Stoke.
Mousinho added: ‘The most pleasing thing for me was how we controlled the second half and were clinical and ruthless, while it felt like we kept going on the press.
‘We tweaked a couple of bits that really worked well in the second half and, when Stoke went more direct, you had to then come out with the second ball - and I thought we did that really well.
‘There were very few times in the second half where I thought we didn’t compete.’