Ferry charts Pompey's course to glory

Ferry spoke of his ‘gut feeling’ Fratton Park was the right place for him to ply his trade after sealing a two-year deal with the Blues.

The 25-year-old midfielder turned down a host of sides north and south of the border to link up with Guy Whittingham’s men.

Whittingham has been trailing Ferry for a number of weeks, with discussions stretching back to last month.

But the wait for the move to be sealed went on as Pompey looked for the funding.

Ferry admitted that he was becoming edgy with the new season in sight.

But now he can’t wait to settle into his new home in Southsea – and set about guiding Pompey back to success.

He said: ‘I had to wait for a few weeks for the move.

‘I think it was a case of working out if the club could get the extra money in.

‘There were other options but I wanted to wait to see what happened here.

‘None of the other teams who were interested excited me as much as Portsmouth did.

‘The size of the club is what attracted me here.

‘It was getting close to the start of the season, so I was starting to panic a bit!

‘Thankfully, my agent told me there was a deal to be done.

‘I spoke to Guy about a week ago but my agent has been speaking to the club for a while.

‘When Guy came and spoke to me it was easy for me to say yes.

‘The size of the club is an attraction. Swindon played here last season and won 2-0 and all I can remember is the fans singing.

‘It’s a brilliant club and I had that gut feeling about coming here.

‘When you hear a club is interested you get a good feeling or a bad feeling.

‘I had a good feeling about Portsmouth.

‘It’s a chance to put the club back where it belongs now.

‘That’s what we have to do – and I want to be part of that.

‘I’m not looking for a short-term fix. I want to be part of the club’s long-term future.’

Whittingham was delighted to see Ferry become Pompey’s 10th new face and is certain he is the kind of player who will go down well with fans.

He said: ‘We’re really pleased to bring Simon here.

‘He’s proved what a good player he is.

‘He’s been promoted with Swindon from League Two and held down a place in a successful side in League One.

‘So we are confident he will bring experience as well as ability to the team.

‘He’s extremely fit and his work-rate is fantastic, something our fans demand.

‘He’s also somebody who can link play, be defending our box one minute and the next attacking the opposition.

‘I think his all-round game is very good.

‘Simon is a big part of what we want to achieve.’