Portsmouth icon David Norris makes Southampton ‘number one’ admission
David Norris has stood by his claim that his iconic volley against Southampton at St. Mary’s was the best individual moment of his career.
In a 27-year innings as a player – recently brought to an end with Lancaster City aged 43 – Norris’ sole season at Pompey brought the moment which stands out for him the most, with the last-gasp South Coast derby wonder-strike etched in the hearts of Blues fans for life.
The midfielder’s time at Fratton Park in the 2011-12 season coincided with the club’s most recent appearance in the Championship, where they will return next season, and the last time the two bitter rivals met in the league.
“It’s still number one now, 100%,” Norris told Pompey News as he reflected on the memorable strike. “I’ve scored big goals, last-minute winners where you buzz off it in the dressing room, but that one – I just didn’t know what to do.
“I was running, screaming, shouting and then jumping through the stewards into the crowd. We’d been so devastated by what looked to be the winner for them, and it switched to elation so quickly. It was and always will be the single greatest moment of my football career.
“I wasn’t initially going to shoot – Kits [Dave Kitson] and [Karim] Rekik went up for the header and there weren’t too many options in the box, so I just guided my foot through it. I was running as soon as I hit it – that one was in. All the devastation, all the chaos going on at the club – that made the goal even more special in the derby. It was a crazy game.”
David Norris’ goal a diamond in a season of the rough for Portsmouth
Portsmouth fans, and people who have long been associated with the club – some of whom surviving redundancy chops throughout the club back then – can appreciate the return to the Championship as signifying the end of the doldrum years since Pompey last visited St. Mary’s in April 2012.
The seventh of that month is dubbed “David Norris Day” for the Blues, and quite aptly so. Norris is still to this day overwhelmed by the consistent support and adulation he receives from the Pompey faithful.
The dramatic draw against the arch-enemy came a week after a dismal 5-1 defeat at Fratton Park against Burnley, which illustrated most of the campaign – joined by the points deduction which gave Pompey no chance of beating the drop despite two wins in the next three after the derby.
It was all about the club’s survival by this point – and a turbulent summer in 2012 which saw Portsmouth forced to let go of every senior pro on their books.
This arduous period would culminate in the first match of the following season down at Plymouth Argyle, presenting manager Michael Appleton with just a youth squad and his first-team coach to field for the 90 minutes, but that was the least of the worries. Pompey fans still had a team to cheer that night.
The empathy of Norris and several of his teammates to come to an agreement with then-administrator Trevor Birch to help the club survive is never forgotten – and the goal goes without saying.
In other Portsmouth news, the club are monitoring the situation of Abu Kamara at Norwich City.
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