Hi lads Newcastle fan in peace here. I've just got back from a 2 week holiday in Sharm El Sheikh and during my time there I met Alan Knight who was there with his wife. I have to say he is a top bloke who had plenty of stories to tell about his life as a professional goalkeeper for your club. The issue is i was pretty pissed when asking him about his experiences so I will do my best to recall what he told me and post them on here for you. I hadn't realised he'd made over 800 appearances for Pompey which is a hell of an achievement for any player at any club. I was surprised that the only other person to have noticed him on while i there was a Saints fan who was very polite and asked for a photo with Alan. My main questions fired at Alan were Newcastle related and he mentioned he played in the game where Newcastle had to win their final 3 games in the 1991/92 season. He said the hardest shot he has ever faced was from Steve Bull and the best player he's played against was Peter Beardsley. The best player he's played with for Portsmouth was Steve Walsh but he did tend to be a greedy player. So there you go. Anyway good luck for the rest of the season and would love to see you back in the EPL.
I remember as a kid, standing at the front of the North Stand with my brother banging the sponser boards shouting at Alan Knight in support - he was by brothers favourite player as he was also a keeper. I have met him a couple of times in restaurants etc and yes, he is a top bloke and has a lot of time for fans. I remember the 91/92 season very well. If i am correct (i was young at the time) we had made it to the FA Cup semi finals versus Liverpool and departed on Penalties. As 7 year old, this was very difficult to take! I think it was the following season that Newcastle needed to win their last three games and we missed out on Auto-Promotion on Goal difference to Newcastle and then went out in the first round of the play offs. Again. heartbreak!
"As 7 year old, this was very difficult to take" Difficult for a then 40 year old (who'd waited an entire lifetime for Pompey to reach an FA Cup final) to take as well. On a side note, I hurt my big toe that day.
