DOCKYARD DERBY DISASTER

Humiliating defeat for woeful Pompey

By Vectensian

Published 21st March 2025

On this day in 1978 Pompey's prospects of avoiding relegation to the Fourth Division were all but extinguished when they suffered a 5-1 defeat by Plymouth Argyle at Fratton Park. Jimmy Dickinson's side produced a performance that many regarded as the club's most abject in post-war history, and the fans made their feelings known with choruses of "What a load of rubbish" at both half-time and full time. 

Pompey went into the midweek match anchored to the bottom of the Third Division table, while Plymouth arrived at Fratton under the temporary stewardship of Malcolm Allison.  

Unfortunately the precariousness of Pompey's position seemed lost on their players, who were outclassed in every department. The five goals conceded ranged from the bad to the farcical.

The most bizarre goal of the lot was the the second. Goalkeeper Steve Middleton came to collect a routine throw-in from his defender Paul Cahill .  As he did so he lost his footing and could only watch in horror as the ball trickled past him into the path of Plymouth's Fred Binney, who tapped it into an empty net for what was probably the easiest of his many career goals.