'They were right' - Portsmouth new boy thanks popular title-winning duo for convincing him to join 'crazy' Fratton family

Cohen Bramall was handed his Blues bow late in the second half of Saturday’s goalless draw with high-flying Burnley.

The left-back had arrived from Rotherham on Friday evening - after consulting Fratton favourites Sean Raggett and Joe Rafferty over the move.

The popular League One title-winning pair moved to the Millers in the summer, becoming team-mates of Bramall under Steve Evans.

So when Pompey declared their interest in the 28-year-old, he asked both for their advice - and was given an emphatic endorsement.

Bramall told The News: ‘The lads were unbelievable, we should have beaten Burnley and it was nice to get on and make my home debut.

‘The fans blew me away, I actually couldn’t believe how loud it was. They didn't stop singing from minute one and I really appreciate the warm welcome. I can't wait to play again.

‘Stepping onto the pitch in front of that support was crazy, I’ll be honest, I have never experienced noise like that before - and it was just like Raggs and Raff had told me.

‘I spoke with both of them before signing, it was a no-brainer really, I just wanted to see what they said.

‘It wasn’t even a case of checking whether it was the right decision. As soon as Pompey came in for me a couple of weeks back, I knew what I was doing. I just wanted their side of things.

‘You know what Raffs is like, a massive character, he had nothing but good words, not one bad thing to say. He was telling me about the fans, the club and the aura of the place.

‘He told me to go for it, that I would love it and I’d suit the way the gaffer wants to play.

‘Raggs also said I would love it here and had nothing but compliments. He’s a great guy’ll miss them both, they’ve been really good to me at Rotherham.

‘This is a massive club and I’m really grateful to be here.’

Certainly it represented a whistle-stop start to his Pompey career, having been officially unveiled on Friday - 24 hours before his debut.

News of Pompey’s interest emerged on Wednesday evening, with Steve Evans confirming it on Thursday afternoon after the former Arsenal player had trained with the Millers that morning.

Come Saturday, he was appearing off the bench in the 86th minute in place of Matt Ritchie for his Blues bow.

Bramall added: ‘I got here Thursday night, had a quick training session on Friday and then it was straight in.

‘I’m used to it now, I'm old enough and wise enough to adapt, I’ve played in this league for two years.

‘It was a bit faster than I thought when I got on (against Burnley), to be fair, but I got up to speed as quickly as possible.’