Heartbreak for ex-Portsmouth quartet as fairy-tale season ends in agony
Stevenage finished sixth in League One - only to suffer play-off semi-final defeat
A former Pompey quartet have suffered play-off semi-final heartbreak.
Surprise package Stevenage finished sixth in League One this season, having at times challenged Lincoln and Cardiff for the automatic promotion spots.
Instead they were bidding to reach the Championship through the play-offs, where they were drawn against Stockport.
However, a 2-0 defeat at Edgeley Park on Wednesday night sealed a 3-0 aggregate triumph for the hosts, with Stockport now set to face either Bolton or Bradford in a Wembley final.
It’s agony for ex-Fratton Park pair Louis Thompson and Harvey White, who both featured in the second-leg defeat and have been mainstays of their success this season.
Dan Butler came off the bench in the first leg, although wasn’t involved in the squad on Wednesday evening, while Gassan Ahadme was sidelined, having not been involved since December.
Stockport one match from the Championship
Having punched above their weight for so long this season, Alex Revell’s team now face another campaign in League One, while Stockport are just one match away from reaching the Championship.
That would put them on Pompey’s fixture list next season for the first time since the 2001-02 season, when Graham Rix’s side completed the double over County.
Stockport led Stevenage 1-0 from the first leg and extended that advantage on 14 minutes through Aston Villa loanee Louie Barry.
Former Pompey transfer target Kyle Wootton made it 2-0 by the 28th minute - and there was to be no coming back for Stevenage.
Ex-Blues loanee White has been one of their key performers, with 50 games and six goals this season, including 41 League One starts.
The midfielder spent the second half of the 2020-21 campaign on loan at Fratton Park from Spurs and played under Kenny Jackett.
Notably, he was the match winner at Oxford United in a 1-0 victory in February 2021 as he totalled 22 appearances for the Blues, primarily off the bench.
Now aged 24, White subsequently had a loan spell at Derby before joining Stevenage permanently in September 2023 following his release from Spurs.
Both Thompson brothers played for Pompey
Louis Thompson, brother of Nathan, has made 34 appearances and scored twice this season, while came off the bench on Wednesday night.
He joined Pompey on a free transfer in August 2021 following an injury-hampered career and would remain on the south coast for two seasons.
Injuries and availability continued to be an issue, but the talented midfielder still featured 57 times and scored twice, before his release under John Mousinho in the summer of 2023.
Thompson subsequently joined Stevenage and the 31-year-old has since made 126 appearances for the League One club.
Although not involved in the second leg, Pompey Academy graduate Dan Butler has made 22 appearances this season, including eight League One starts.
The left-back, who hails from the Isle of Wight, made 54 appearances after coming through the Fratton Park ranks, before his release by new boss Paul Cook in the summer of 2015.
Butler dropped into non-league with Torquay before fighting his way back into the Football League with Newport and Peterborough, featuring for the latter in the Championship after being part of a promotion-winning side.
He has been with Stevenage since the summer of 2023, making 108 appearances and scoring once.
And completing the ex-Pompey quartet is Gassan Ahadme, who joined Stevenage on a season-long loan from Charlton in August.
The ex-Norwich striker made 10 appearances and scored once in a Blues loan spell during the first half of the 2021-22 season.
For Stevenage, he has netted four times in 16 games, although hasn’t played since December, presumably through injury.
And now League One’s overachieving club must lick their wounds before focusing on another promotion attempt next season.