Dear Editor,
I must admit that writing this letter is not easy… the wounds are still very fresh.
I was one of the Portimonense fans who travelled to Póvoa de Varzim on Saturday, hoping the club would win and be promoted to Portugal’s first division.
Thanks to the club’s board, around 200 people were provided free tickets and transportation to the northern city. However, things did not go as planned…
Portimonense drew 1-1 when they needed to win to clinch the second promotion spot, and left a score of fans in tatters.
Many cried as they saw the possibility of first division glory slip through their fingers, especially after travelling eight hours on a cramped bus and knowing they faced a long and sad trip back home.
However, for the first time in many, many years, Portimonense finally seems to be on the right track.
The club has brought stability to its finances, and has been able to build solid teams for a good few years now. In previous years, players would come and go and managers would have to build a new team every season.
Now, players are signing longer contracts and staying for more than just one season.
This brings many benefits, such as more loyal players and better chemistry between teammates.
Hopefully the disappointment that Portimonense fans had to face this year was just a hardship on the road to success.
I’ve always been a fan, but I’ve never been as confident in the club’s long term success as I am now.
James (yes, an expat fan!)
