Lifelong Pompey fan gets last ticket for League One Barnsley title decider and flies from LA in one day

Jason Wiltshire was sat at home watching the crunch-tie against Bolton Wanderers on Saturday when he decided to make the trip to Fratton Park. The Blues are one point from securing promotion to the Championship from League One - two points from being crowned champions.

After a whirlwind weekend and getting a ticket against all odds, he landed in the UK this morning. The 50-year-old, who lives in LA, California, told The News: “It was completely last minute. I was watching the Bolton game on Saturday morning. When we drew, I said to my wife that it would be amazing to go, and she encouraged me to do it.

“I rang the club to see if there were any spare tickets, and there was one last one left. They sold it to me over the phone at 8.30am, and booked a flight from LAX. I can’t quite believe I’m doing this. It’s just insane. I guess it was meant to happen.”

The creative director and producer got on a plane at 3.40pm on Monday afternoon, landing at London Heathrow Airport at 10.30am this morning. “I was scared of getting into the ground without a ticket,” he added. “The stars have aligned, and I’m flying home on Friday.”

Mr Wiltshire went to his first Pompey match when he was five-years-old, and has been hooked ever since. He later moved to London for university and work. After becoming a creative director for Critical Hits - which specialises in video game and e-sports broadcasting - he relocated with his wife Sara to America, raising his daughters Claudia and Nellie.

Even being in another time zone, Mr Wiltshire still follows his beloved Portsmouth. “I’ve seen some brilliant matches over the years,” he said. “I remember when Pompey beat Southampton 4-1, and Lualua played like Ronaldo for 15 minutes. We’ve been put through the ringer over the years though.”

Mr Wiltshire said he is not trying to get ahead of himself despite Pompey’s remarkable campaign this season. The team have amassed 91 points from 43 games, not losing to any of the sides in the top six of the League One table. Even with the title fingertips away, Mr Wiltshire remains nervous - wincing when asked for a score prediction.

“It’s stupid, but I’m going to believe it when I see it,” he said. “I was worried at the beginning of the season that the team would go the same way, but they’ve been phenomenal. The owners have been fantastic with investing in the facilities, and now they have been investing in the players. Hopefully I’ll be cheering them on getting promoted. “I’ve got some Australian friends, so I hope Kusini Yengi scores. Abu Kamara has been amazing. I’m too nervous to predict what will happen. Who knows. I’m way too superstitious to say we’re 100 per cent getting promoted. I’ve gone too far to miss tonight’s game. You get used to expecting the worst sometimes, but I hope the team can do it.”