POMPEY MAKE IT

by RAY FLEMING
VOICES are sometimes heard saying that too much football is being played in England and that the FA Cup in particular gets in the way of fixtures when financially critical promotion and relegation issues are at stake. But as events at Wembley on Sunday showed the Cup can add an element of unpredictability and even romance without which English football would be much the poorer. That Portsmouth, a club already relegated from the premiership and facing financial meltdown, should have been able to inflict a semi-final defeat on classy Tottenham Hotspur -- whose manager used to be in charge at Portsmouth -- and now face the rich, probable Premiership champions Chelsea in the final , is the stuff of fiction. The admirable manager of Portsmouth, Avram Grant -- who managed Chelsea not so long ago, just to add to the drama -- is not sure whether he will have enough players under contract for the Final on 15 May and cannot even begin to speculate on the European opportunities that may be on offer next season. Portsmouth have loyal supporters, players who have performed above themselves and a manager and staff who have concentrated on the game while the very financial fabric of the club was falling apart around them. Can they beat Chelsea? The form book says it's unlikely but think back to the Final in 1988 when another unlikely team, Wimbledon, beat Liverpool 1-0.