When I decided to devote this season's View From the North Stand columns in the PFC programme to our past 21 seasons in the second tier, there was only one it was legal to feature in the Oxford programme... 1984-85.

Of all the games Fratton Park has staged in the past 50 years, any poll of fans who've been watching for anything like that long will put the December 22, 1984, promotion tussle between Bally's Blues and the Bald Eagle's Us in their top three; many will say it's the best of the lot.

I don't even need to recap it, except to call it 'the Santa' game or Alan Biley's finest hour. 0-1 down to 2-1 up in the dying minutes. If you've not done so already – or even if you have before – look up Pete1201 / 'Pompey in a classic 1984' on Youtube for a highlights package that lasts 6.57 (!) and shows the day in all its muddy, murky beauty.

But 84-85 was not only about that festive Fratton feast – it had more highs and lows than almost any other season you could name.

Here are some of your memories of a campaign that had massive highs but huge lows too.

Simon Kidd has followed MOTD2's lead and come up with '2 good, 2 bad' for the season. The good... "Away to Leeds in September, seeing Alan Biley squeeze the ball home for a 1-0 win that made the hairy exit from the ground just about worth it. And the win at Huddersfield in the last game of the season, witnessing that amazing run by Kevin O’Callaghan to net in our 2-0 victory - only to find out this result was not enough for promotion."

And the bad... "Away to Carlisle the day after my firm’s Christmas party, catching the 5.40am train only to see Pompey lose 3-0 as we stood under the rain dripping from the tin roof of Brunton Park. Home to Birmingham in April as Alan Ball’s words “beat them and we bury them” came back to bite him in a 3-1 reverse."

OldPompeyPics recalled every twist and turn and picked out these themes... "All sorts of palavas around finding a decent striking line-up. After Hateley left, Deacon was done by Ron Atkinson, who offloaded Scott McGarvey (who hadn't played a minute for Man U in 83/84).

"Pompey started the season with McGarvey + Biley / then McGarvey was dropped after a few games and replaced by Morgan / then Alan Ball started to fall out with Biley so McGarvey got back in (scored a couple v Notts C in Nov I think) / then we signed Dave Bamber and Paul Sugrue neither of whom were up to the mark.

"Then into the New Year Biley was on his way, McGarvey was no good, nor was Bamber; luckily the 2 new wingers (Vince'n'Cally) were getting goals as were Webby and Dillon / we went into the run-in with Webby as the main striker who did well, but then he unfortunately left at the end of the season.

"84-85 was the first season using the Adidas Tango ball for home games. I loved the swishing of it in the net when Pompey scored at the Fratton End!

"It was first season I went up North regularly to watch Pompey, so I learned all about the UK railway system. Such as; change at Preston for Blackburn / change at Sheffield for Barnsley / then coming back from Barnsley get a train to Wakefield Kirkgate, then a short train to Wakefield Westgate, to then get the mainline train to London (which was rammed with Leeds fans!) / Also change at Newark to get a train to Cleethorpes, where Grimsby's ground was (still is).

"Losing the two home games to Birmingham and Man C was crucial, but after those defeats Pompey still clawed their way back in with a chance. Going into the final day there were still FIVE teams who could have taken 3rd spot (behind Oxford and Birmingham) depending on how results went. It was a classic promotion race in the old days of the 3-up system."

Kelvin Shaw took us on the whole rollercoaster ride that 84-85 was: "A season that promised so much but ultimately fell agonisingly short on Goal Difference.

"It started so well with a late Biley winner in the opening game v Middlesboro 1-0. Quickly followed up by a famous win against 1st Division Nottm.Forest in the League Cup, again 1-0 & Biley, although we did lose the 2nd leg 3-0 at the City Ground.

"Our first league defeat didn’t arrive until Oct. On to Xmas & of course one of the legendary games in Pompey’s history, the 2-1 win v Oxford with that man Biley scoring 2 late goals after a Pompey fan dressed as Santa decided to invade the pitch.

"New Year's Day arrived with hopes still high of promotion and it was looking great at HT 4-0 up to Fulham ( inc Malcolm Waldron’s only ever Pompey goal), but 2nd half it all went wrong and Fulham equalised in the last minute with a penalty after Noel Blake slid in and took out Dean Coney (I think).

"Cliff Carr scored and confidence was knocked as we didn’t win again til Feb. However, we went through March unbeaten and hopes were raised again. April came & after going to Craven Cottage to see us win 3-1 with my late brother I was adamant we were going up. But back to back losses to promotion rivals Birmingham 3-1 at home in front of nearly 24,000 and Man C 2-1 again in front of a large crowd left us needing others to slip up.

"We picked up to win our last 3 matches including a great last day at Huddersfield with O’Callaghan running half the length of the pitch to score in a 2-0 win. A very flat ending though as news filtered through in the 1st half that Man C were comfortably ahead at home & we knew their goal difference was out of our reach. No play offs in those days so back to Div 2 again come August."

Josh Lish said of the 4-4 draw with Fulham: "I was recovering in QA Hospital after surgery listening to hospital radio. Possibly the sickest I felt during my stay."

Ross Henley said: "I remember Cardiff away in October – an unlikely 2-1 win from 1-0 down at half-time at Ninian Park. It was during the miners' strike and there was a very spiky atmosphere ... someone started a chant about the strike which went down very badly. Seriously never thought that this fixture would one day become a FA Cup final fixture.

"On another tack and slightly controversial. I think the transfer of Biley cost us promotion. I'm sure he would somehow got us the extra point for promotion in our run in.

"I was at the Man City game. Once we got level we absolutely battered City with a Pompey goal looking inevitable. The Simpson city late winner way against run of play was a total sickener."

Paul Rixon remembered 'blowing those home games in April, a teenage Paul Simpson scoring the winner for City. Imagine what could have been, being in Div 1 and keeping Neil Webb!'.

PompeyHobgoblin said: "The Xmas period started off with the Santa Game and finished off with Fulham. After Easter, defeats to Birmingham 3-1 and City 2-1 are probably the games that cost us promotion."

As for my own other favourite 84-85 games – Vince Hilaire's debut (a thrilling 2-2 draw with Blackburn when Pompey scored all four) and a heart-quickening 3-1 beating of Leeds under the Fratton floodlights.

Thanks for all the 84-85 memories and I hope you enjoyed travelling back 40 years for them. And, if Alan Knight is reading, hey Al, no-one mentioned the own goal at Wimbledon. Oops, just mentioned it once. But I think I got away with it...

Next up it's the Pompey-Sheff Wed programme and I want your memories of 2001-02, a season when a game with the Owls proved the final straw for one manager. So - the season of Burchill & Crouch, Sir Robert Prosinecki, Yoshi, Buxton, Zamperini... tweet me at @stevebone1 / email stevebonepfc@googlemail.com with your highlights and personal memories.

Photo: Action Images

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