No Fratton Park friendly as Portsmouth pre-season schedule takes shape

There will be no Fratton Park friendly this summer ahead of Pompey’s Championship return.

Ongoing work on a new TV gantry in the South Stand, followed by essential pitch maintenance, has rendered Pompey’s home out of bounds during their pre-season schedule.

Instead the Blues are targeting fulfilling fixtures away from Fratton Park over July in preparation for the Football League’s August 10-11 kick-off.

That list will once again include trips to non-league neighbours the Hawks, Gosport and the Rocks.

The finishing touches are also being put to Pompey’s overseas training camp, including the possibility of a friendly, although chief executive Andy Cullen has recently admitted that potential fixture is ‘unlikely’.

Other matches are also being finalised as the Blues’ pre-season programme begins to take shape, with the club expected to make an announcement shortly, revealing dates.

Regardless, the League One champions are booked for a training return on June 27, with player medical testing earmarked during the opening days.

John Mousinho’s men played seven matches last pre-season, including trips to Hawks, Gosport and the Rocks.

They faced Gibraltar side Europa FC at Estadio Jose Burgos De Quintana in Malaga during their six-day stay in southern Spain.

There was a training ground fixture with Crawley, which resulted in a 9-1 victory over a 120-minute game, while the Blues lost 1-0 at AFC Wimbledon.

Their final match of that schedule was a 1-0 home defeat to Championship side Bristol City at Fratton Park, watched by 7,986, including 1,802 travelling supporters.

The last pre-season when Pompey didn’t have a Fratton Park game was in 2020, albeit during the Covid period when fixtures were played behind closed doors.

Meanwhile, the Blues will learn their Championship fixture list at 9am on Wednesday, June 26.