The tales Portsmouth faithful will want to hear about Coventry City’s visit to Darmstadt
This is the response Pompey fans will enjoy hearing ahead of their pre-season visit to face 2. Bundesliga outfit SV Darmstadt 98.
It’s music to the ears of Pompey fans.
Two years ago last season’s Championship title winners Coventry City travelled to Darmstadt for their side’s pre-season friendly with the 2. Bundesliga outfit.
Coventry’s message to Pompey fans on Darmstadt: ‘You’ll love it’
And the Sky Blues fans absolutely loved it.
More than 500 of their made the trek to south west Germany for a 2024 warm-up, with SV Darmstadt 98 running out 2-0 winners at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor.
Aleksandar Vukotić and Fynn Lakenmacher got the second-half goals as the home side picked up the victory, but that was of little consequence to the visitors who lapped up the culture and hospitality of their hosts.
The two groups of fans mingled freely at the game with there no segregation at the stadum and tickets priced cheaply.
The Premier League new boy’s followers certainly seem to look back on the occasion fondly, as new friendships were forged across the city’s bars and brewhouses.
And that saw them make themselves heard this week, when news of Pompey’s overseas trip to the city 23 miles south of Frankfurt was confirmed.
‘Absolutely class weekend if you can do it,’ said @Swissy____ speaking on X (formerly Twitter). ‘You'll get two blocks along the side towards the corner. No bother, just drinking and friendly. One of the best weekends.'
Continuing with the same sentiment, @awbuswell added: ‘We went back in 2024. Class day out, you’ll love it.’
And there was even a degree of envy from one Sky Blues fan as @MonsterMcD stated: ‘Jammy sods!’.
Following this week’s announcement there’s been excitement among Pompey fans at news of the chance to travel overseas to watch their side in action.
Ticket news has yet to be confirmed but are expected to be relatively cheap, though flight prices to Frankfurt and Hahn airports from Heathrow and Stansted have shot up since the announcement.
It will be Pompey’s first game abroad since the summer of 2023, when the Blues faced Gibraltar side Europa FC at Estadio Jose Burgos De Quintana in Malaga, Spain.
Supporters, of course, will remember the club’s last trip to Germany in 2008 when they fell 3-2 to Wolfsburg in the Uefa Cup at the Volkswagen Arena. The home side contained Bosnia and Herzegovina great Edin Dzeko.
The other time Pompey have travelled to Germany was in September 1970, to face MSV Duisburg as part of the 20th anniversary of the cities being twinned.
The home side ran out 4-0 winners, with Ron Tindall’s side hitting the post and bar in the defeat.