Pompey paupers set up fairytale final

A BANNER high in the stands at the Portsmouth end of the stadium proclaimed ‘Avram Grant: Spirit of Pompey’.

After this stunning game, the Israeli may even be able to contemplate God-like status in certain areas of the south coast of England.

The FA Cup has never been short of unlikely triumphs, but this must rank as one of the most extraordinary of any era. Portsmouth have been a basket case all season, passed through the hands of a succession of owners, none of whom were able to halt the financial implosion that has left the club in the hands of the administrator.