Lower Life: An apology for a deceased goldfish - and other Pompey pets' zoo updates

It’s not like there’s much on the Fratton Park pitch I need to concentrate on instead, after all.

I would happily have drawn a line under the ‘pets with Pompey names’ after last week’s column but I have a few loose ends to tie up.

Not least an apology to a goldfish – a deceased goldfish at that.

Neil Wingham contacted me about last week’s pets extravaganza to say: ‘The late Dillon the goldfish would’ve been upset he didn’t make the cut, especially as he was sure he was the article’s inspiration.’

I have to confess, Neil’s right. It was upon learning that Neil’s fish was named after Deadeye Dill (he could have called him Deadeye Gill, couldn’t he?) that I launched the search for other Pompey pets.

I’d just forgotten that by the time I got around to rounding up the animal inmates last week.

Elsewhere, Bob Beech tells me Balram the snake was delighted to appear in the column - click here if you didn’t see him.

How you know when a snake is delighted I’m not sure – perhaps they don’t hiss (or boo) as much!

I’ve now had an invite to see Balram’s 26 snake friends and 25 lizard pals but I’m busy that day.

There were also questions on Twitter about whether Balram gets emotionally attached to mice before he gobbles them up. We await an answer.

Another reaction to last week’s column came in the Kanu household – not our former 62-year-old striker’s residence, of course, but the home of Kanu the Pleco tropical fish.

His owner Bruce Cameron-Stuart says: ‘Held the laptop up to the tank and showed him your column.

‘Now Kanu the Pleco is strutting around as though he had won us the FA Cup.’

New Pompey pets have also been added to the zoo since last week – namely Willpfc’s two cats Teddy and Toddy – in honour of two of our favourite Blues strikers of all-time.

Meanwhile a late arrival in the picture department was of Sam Abrehart’s faithful tortoise Benjani. He tried to send the picture in time for last week’s column, when he was first mentioned, but Benji took three days to walk on to the shirt.

And it’s not just pets that are named in honour of Pompey players – not by any means.

Steve Katternhorn proudly announces: ‘I built a new house some time ago in Shirrell Heath, near Wickham, and called it The Chimes in reference to the Pompey Chimes – it’s still there and still called The Chimes.

‘It was constructed of flint. I converted the loft space and it was massive – I managed to put two kids’ five-a-side goals and nets up there!’

Just one query, Steve – there wouldn’t be any chance of opening a training ground in the back garden, would there?

Not just houses, but people, too.

Darren Crisp gave his son the middle name Taylor following Matt’s super long-range volley against Everton six seasons ago.

And objects – Nagoya Pompey says: ‘I named my mobile wi-fi routers Pompey and Pompey2. My android phone now tells me I’m connected to Pompey on the way to work.’

Given that’s unlikely to be beaten, this is the end of the ‘what have you named after Pompey’ theme. For now...

Got some Pompey trivia to share? Or dying to tell me about something that’s named after Pompey or a player? Email [email protected] or tweet me - @stevebone1