Portsmouth v Millwall: Stances on kick-off time revealed ahead of next month's Fratton Park reunion

Police in Portsmouth made a request to the Football League for next month’s Fratton Park fixture against Millwall to be played at a different time.

The Championship fixture, which is scheduled for Saturday, November 22, remains a 3pm kick-off. The Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary made the unsuccessful request after this season’s Pompey fixtures were made public in June.

It follows incidents of disorder when the London club visited the city on three separate occasions last term, all of which were midweek kick-offs - once in the Carabao Cup (August) and then twice in the league after the November meeting of the two second-tier clubs had to be abandoned ahead of kick-off due to a power failure. The rescheduled game was played in January.

Despite outbreaks of trouble on each night, it’s understood that only one arrest was made. However, a police officer was struck on the head following one of the meetings, while supporters complained of excessive force by police when the November fixture was called off - something which the police refuted.

Speaking at the recent Tony Goodall Fan’s Conference, Blues chief executive Andy Cullen said Pompey felt there was no reason to seek a change in the time of kick-off.

However, the same view wasn’t shared by police, who have since met with both clubs in a bid to ensure the latest meeting between the two Championship passess off without incident.

Speaking at the conference, Dedicated Football Officer, Stu Grover, told those gathered: ‘It’s something (the police) brought up at the start of the season, and a request went in to the EFL to not have it played at 3 o’clock. It is what it is.

‘We know it will provide significant challenges, but we’ve had plenty of meetings with the clubs and are ready for it. There will be significant resources on that game. We learnt a lot from last season, where the teams played three times. There are other policing demands that weekend, with Aldershot versus. Woking being another high-risk fixture.’

Confirming the Blues’ stance on the fixture, Cullen said: ‘We looked at this at the start of the season, but felt there was no reason to move it.

‘As a club, we’re keen to keep the integrity of Saturday 3pm fixtures wherever we can. We looked at Millwall’s other fixtures in recent years – there’s little evidence of other clubs moving non-televised fixtures against Millwall for purely safety reasons.

‘We have plenty of 12:30pm kick offs as it is. ‘

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