News

Ray Reminisces with Portchester Community Centre

27 Jan 2012

Ex-Pompey player, Ray Crawford was kind enough to pop into the Study Centre this week and take part in a question and answer session with a group of members from the Portchester Community Centre. The visitors were treated to Ray’s experiences playing for clubs such as Pompey, Ipswich and Colchester United and the life that followed after his playing career. The group really related to Ray’s stories and some of them didn’t want him to leave.
After some persuasion, the group left Ray and went on to visit the Fratton Park stadium and experience the manager’s dugout, changing rooms and tunnel. The tour was full of laughs and giggles from the group as they pretended that they had just signed for the club and being interviewed by John Motson in front of the television boards.
Gladys, one of the Portchester Community Centre members said, ‘The last time I was at Fratton Park was to watch Pompey in 1947. It’s great to be back though, even if it has been a long time!’
It was an excellent day and was finished off back at the Pompey Study Centre, with the members making a comic about their day using all the photographs that were taken at the stadium.
James Cannons, a member of the Pompey Study Centre team said ‘It was a fantastic and enlightening experience to listen to all the stories that the group had to tell, not only about their lives but also this famous football club. It was great to spend the day with them and I hope that they enjoyed themselves as well.’