# 2001–02 Portsmouth F.C. season

During the 2001–02 English football season, Portsmouth F.C. competed in the Football League First Division.

## Season summary

Portsmouth started the season promisingly but slumped during the winter and were involved in a relegation battle for the second half of the season. A string of poor results, including a 4–1 home loss in the FA Cup to bottom of the Football League Leyton Orient, meant that Director of Football Harry Redknapp was given more responsibilities until he eventually replaced Rix as team manager toward the end of the season. The goals of striker Peter Crouch and the creativity of veteran Croatian midfielder Robert Prosinečki played a crucial role in saving Portsmouth from relegation. Despite only spending the one season with the club before moving to Slovenian side Olimpija Ljubljana, such was the role Prosinečki played that he is now widely regarded as one of the greatest players to ever grace Fratton Park. Crouch was sold to Aston Villa near the end of the season for £5 million, which was used in the ensuing summer to rebuild the squad.
Tragedy struck the club six days before the start of the season when goalkeeper Aaron Flahavan was killed in a car crash near Bournemouth on 5 August. Both Portsmouth and Flahavan's youth club Southampton retired the number 1 jersey during the season, out of respect for Flahavan, who had played more than 100 games for Portsmouth since making his debut five years earlier.

## Kit

Portsmouth retained the previous season's kit, manufactured by the club's own brand, Pompey Sport, and sponsored by Bishop's Printers.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 15 | Bradford City | 46 | 15 | 10 | 21 | 69 | 76 | −7 | 55 |
| 16 | Nottingham Forest | 46 | 12 | 18 | 16 | 50 | 51 | −1 | 54 |
| 17 | Portsmouth | 46 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 60 | 72 | −12 | 53 |
| 18 | Walsall | 46 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 51 | 71 | −20 | 51 |
| 19 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 12 | 14 | 20 | 50 | 72 | −22 | 50 |

### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Source: 2001-02 Football League First Division table

### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 |
| Ground | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | H | A | H | A | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A |
| Result | D | L | W | W | W | D | W | D | L | L | W | L | W | D | L | D | W | D | W | L | W | L | L | L | W | L | L | L | L | W | D | L | D | L | W | D | D | W | L | D | D | L | D | D | L | L |
| Position | 10 | 17 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 |

## Results

Portsmouth's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Football League First Division

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 11 August 2001 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 2–2 | 23,012 | Crouch, Crowe |
| 18 August 2001 | Bradford City | H | 0–1 | 17,239 | |
| 25 August 2001 | Stockport County | A | 1–0 | 5,090 | Prosinečki |
| 27 August 2001 | Grimsby Town | H | 4–2 | 13,614 | Burchill (2), Crouch (2) |
| 8 September 2001 | Gillingham | H | 2–1 | 17,224 | Barrett, Zamperini |
| 12 September 2001 | Wimbledon | A | 3–3 | 7,138 | Burchill, Crouch, Bradbury (pen) |
| 15 September 2001 | Crystal Palace | H | 4–2 | 18,149 | Zamperini, Prosinečki, Burchill (pen), Crouch |
| 18 September 2001 | Walsall | A | 0–0 | 6,153 | |
| 22 September 2001 | Coventry City | A | 0–2 | 18,303 | |
| 25 September 2001 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 1–2 | 17,287 | Prosinečki (pen) |
| 28 September 2001 | Barnsley | A | 4–1 | 11,660 | Vincent, Crouch, Bradbury (2, 1 pen) |
| 12 October 2001 | Rotherham United | A | 1–2 | 6,427 | Crouch |
| 20 October 2001 | Sheffield United | H | 1–0 | 15,538 | Edinburgh |
| 23 October 2001 | Norwich City | A | 0–0 | 19,962 | |
| 27 October 2001 | Preston North End | H | 0–1 | 15,402 | |
| 30 October 2001 | Birmingham City | H | 1–1 | 15,612 | Bradbury |
| 3 November 2001 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 3–2 | 18,212 | Crouch (2), Barrett |
| 10 November 2001 | Burnley | A | 1–1 | 14,123 | Crouch |
| 17 November 2001 | Manchester City | H | 2–1 | 19,103 | Bradbury, Crouch |
| 25 November 2001 | Watford | A | 0–3 | 15,631 | |
| 28 November 2001 | Nottingham Forest | H | 3–2 | 14,837 | Hjelde (own goal), Bradbury (2, 1 pen) |
| 2 December 2001 | Norwich City | H | 1–2 | 13,286 | Harper |
| 8 December 2001 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 2–4 | 14,430 | Lovell, Crouch |
| 13 December 2001 | Millwall | A | 0–1 | 11,527 | |
| 22 December 2001 | Stockport County | H | 2–0 | 13,887 | Crouch, Lovell |
| 26 December 2001 | Gillingham | A | 0–2 | 10,477 | |
| 29 December 2001 | Grimsby Town | A | 1–3 | 5,217 | Crouch |
| 12 January 2002 | Bradford City | A | 1–3 | 14,306 | Primus |
| 17 January 2002 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 2–3 | 13,105 | Quashie, Prosinečki |
| 30 January 2002 | Nottingham Forest | A | 1–0 | 26,476 | Prosinečki |
| 2 February 2002 | Barnsley | H | 4–4 | 12,756 | Prosinečki (3, 1 pen), Primus |
| 9 February 2002 | Sheffield United | A | 3–4 | 17,553 | Crouch, Prosinečki, Quashie |
| 16 February 2002 | Rotherham United | H | 0–0 | 13,313 | |
| 23 February 2002 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 0–5 | 21,028 | |
| 26 February 2002 | Coventry City | H | 1–0 | 12,336 | Crouch |
| 2 March 2002 | Walsall | H | 1–1 | 13,203 | Crouch |
| 5 March 2002 | Crystal Palace | A | 0–0 | 15,915 | |
| 9 March 2002 | Millwall | H | 3–0 | 15,221 | Biagini, O'Neil, Pitt |
| 12 March 2002 | Wimbledon | H | 1–2 | 13,118 | Biagini |
| 16 March 2002 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 1–1 | 7,170 | Crouch |
| 23 March 2002 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 0–0 | 14,819 | |
| 30 March 2002 | Preston North End | A | 0–2 | 16,832 | |
| 1 April 2002 | Burnley | H | 1–1 | 18,020 | Todorov |
| 7 April 2002 | Birmingham City | A | 1–1 | 25,030 | Pitt |
| 13 April 2002 | Watford | H | 0–1 | 16,302 | |
| 21 April 2002 | Manchester City | A | 1–3 | 34,657 | Pitt |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R3 | 16 January 2002 | Leyton Orient | H | 1–4 | 12,936 | Smith (own goal) |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 | 21 August 2001 | Colchester United | H | 1–2 | 7,078 | Crouch |

## Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 2 | DF | ENG | Jason Crowe |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Jamie Vincent |
| 4 | MF | ENG | Shaun Derry |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Eddie Howe |
| 6 | DF | ENG | Carl Tiler |
| 7 | MF | SCO | Kevin Harper |
| 8 | MF | CRO | Robert Prosinečki |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Lee Bradbury |
| 11 | MF | SCO | Nigel Quashie |
| 13 | DF | ITA | Alessandro Zamperini |
| 14 | GK | Guernsey | Chris Tardif |
| 15 | MF | ENG | Courtney Pitt |
| 16 | DF | DEN | Thomas Thøgersen |
| 17 | MF | ENG | Tom Curtis |
| 19 | FW | ENG | Luke Nightingale |
| 20 | FW | ENG | Rory Allen |
| 21 | DF | ENG | Justin Edinburgh |
| 22 | FW | SVN | Mladen Rudonja |
| 23 | MF | SCO | Garry Brady |
| 24 | DF | ENG | Scott Hiley |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 25 | FW | ENG | Steve Lovell |
| 26 | MF | ENG | Gary O'Neil |
| 27 | MF | BRA | Stefani Miglioranzi |
| 28 | MF | GRE | Michael Panopoulos |
| 29 | MF | ENG | Mark Summerbell (on loan from Middlesbrough) |
| 30 | DF | ENG | Linvoy Primus |
| 31 | GK | ENG | Dave Beasant |
| 32 | FW | ENG | Rowan Vine |
| 33 | DF | ENG | Lewis Buxton |
| 34 | MF | ENG | Neil Barrett |
| 35 | FW | SCO | Mark Burchill |
| 36 | MF | FRA | Uliano Courville |
| 37 | GK | JPN | Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi |
| 38 | MF | ENG | Carl Pettefer |
| 39 | DF | SCO | Scott Wilson (on loan from Rangers) |
| 40 | GK | ENG | Alan Knight |
| 41 | FW | ARG | Leonardo Biagini (on loan from Mallorca) |
| 42 | DF | ENG | Shaun Cooper |
| 43 | FW | BUL | Svetoslav Todorov |

### Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | ENG | Aaron Flahavan (died) |
| 5 | DF | JAM | Darren Moore (to West Bromwich Albion) |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Peter Crouch (to Aston Villa) |
| 18 | DF | NIR | Dave Waterman (to Oxford United) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 22 | FW | ENG | Lee Mills (to Coventry City) |
| 29 | MF | WAL | Ceri Hughes (to Cardiff City) |
| 37 | GK | SRB | Saša Ilić (on loan from Charlton Athletic) |
| 39 | GK | AUS | Andy Petterson (to West Bromwich Albion) |