Football fan creates 'private entrance' to Portsmouth's Fratton Park South Stand in his garden
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Steven Bantock has lived in Carisbrooke Road for five years, with his garden backing onto the South Stand of Portsmouth’s stadium.
His mission during lockdown has been to create another ‘entrance’ to the stadium, enlisting the help of his fiancee Emma Brailey’s dad Jim - a lifelong Pompey fan - to put together the finished creation of The South South Stand.
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Hide AdInspired by Harry Potter’s famous Platform 9 and ¾, which sees wizards run through a brick wall to get to a railway station, the pair have put up a door at the bottom of the garden with a view into what looks like the stadium.
Steven, 31, said: ‘We thought it would be funny and make people have a little smile and a laugh - it’s a joke that has evolved into something that looks pretty good.’
Brighton and Hove Albion fan Steven enjoys the atmosphere of living near Fratton Park, and has been to a few games while living in Carisbrooke Road, with one of the shortest commutes of any spectator in the Milton End.
The accountant had the unique experience of walking through his front door to Pompey conceding a goal, effectively having 20,000 fans booing him as he returned home, as well as a friend taking his T-shirt off for a shower to the cheers of thousands of fans.
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Hide AdSteven can recall a few years ago when Portsmouth were in League Two and parking restrictions were not in place for every game - he returned home from a week away in London and found his car had disappeared.
Taking it all in his stride, Steven said: ‘I like football, I like the area and you just have to embrace it - it’s just a bit of fun.
‘We do have to put up with match days and parking restrictions - a free ticket would go down well.’
Steven and Emma are looking to move away from the area later this year, so any Pompey fan looking for a ‘secret entrance’ to the ground can look no further.
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