Magical night at Fratton Park revisited - on first anniversay of Portsmouth's title-clinching win v Barnsley: gallery

It was unforgettable night that will live long in the memory of Pompey fans present.

And exactly one year on from the sensational scenes that greeted the Blues securing the League One title and passage back to the Championship, we’ve decided to revisit some of the fantastic images captured as Fratton Park was rocked to its very foundations.

Then league-leaders Pompey needed just a point from their home game against Barnsley to seal second-tier football for the first time in 12 years. However, a win ensured that they would be promoted as champions with two games remaining.

A Colby Bishop penalty on 83 minutes helped the Blues get back on levels terms, with Kusini Yengi’s ninth-minute goal sandwiched between Tykes efforts from Devante Cole (6) and John McAtee (59).

That sparked wild scenes inside PO4 - scenes that were amplified even further on the stroke of full-time when Conor Shaughnessy headed home from a corner to not only secure a 3-2 win but also a clinch the League One title in the most breathtaking of circumstances.

The mass pitch invasion that followed the full-time whistle will go down in folklore - as will the celebrations that continued long into the early hours of the following morning as the city celebrated it’s newly-crowned champions.

A year on, Pompey are in the fight of their lives to retain their Championship status, with just four points separating them from the drop zone as we enter the final four games of the season.

Yet it’s a scenario many of the Fratton faithful will have taken this day last year, with stablisation and survival the goal on the Blues’ return to the second tier.

Achieving that aim will provide the fans with similar joy, with John Mousinho’s side in a relegation dog-fight for more or less the whole season long

However, nothing will beat the celebrations from Tuesday, April 16, 2024, when Pompey beat Barnsley to be crowned league champions for the eighth time in their history.

Here’s 50 pictures from that night as crowd-pleasers Pompey lit the touchpaper on a brilliant night that will be forever remembered by the Fratton faithful.

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