'˜Amazing' Pompey season-ticket sales continue

And chief executive Mark Catlin believes the number of tickets shifted is on course to outstrip last season’s total.

Catlin has saluted the efforts of supporters in again digging deep to renew at frozen prices.

But he also highlighted the impressive number of new buyers, who are purchasing for the 2016-17 campaign.

They number around 1,000 and have created confidence the 11,000 barrier broken last term can be reached again

Catlin believes that return would be quite something.

He said: ‘We’re approaching 9,000 now.

‘That’s amazing, especially as approximately 1,000 of them are new season-ticket holders.

‘There’s obviously still a window there for existing season-ticket holders.

‘Due to the fantastic support we’ve got, we believe we may be in and around the figures we achieved last season.

‘That really would be a remarkable achievement.’

The Blues have been bowled over by the interest in season tickets since they went on sale at the start of last month.

The demand has remained constant over the summer, after 1,000 were sold on the first day.

It took five days to reach that figure last year.

The first season of community ownership saw 10,660 season tickets sold.

In 2014-15 that figure went up to 11,047, with optimism high after Andy Awford guided the Blues to League Two safety with five wins and two draws.

Paul Cook then arrived last May as Awford’s successor.

That created another wave of hope, with impressive figures again reached.

Pompey begin the new campaign when Carlisle visit Fratton Park on August 6.

– JORDAN CROSS