Colin Farmery

They were the Golden Years of Portsmouth Football Club. In 1948 the south coast club was celebrating its 50th anniversary and the then Chairman Vernon Stokes had a simple message for the team: 'Win the Championship for the Jubilee!' Under the astute guidance of manager Bob Jackson, 'Pompey' found the perfect blend of seasoned professionals, talented local youngsters and demobbed ex-servicemen snapped up by a scouting network second to none. It created a unique spirit and camaraderie that made Pompey truly a team without stars. The likes of Jimmy Dickinson, Jimmy Scoular, Len Phillips and Peter Harris would go on to become household names, but this is the story of a team-spirit which between 1948 and 1950 was without equal. Portsmouth was a city shattered by German bombers during World War II, but the exploits of its football team helped sustain its population through the austerity of the immediate post-war period. Pompey were: Champions of England.