Calls for 'fitting tribute' to goalkeeping legend

Football fans have called for a permanent tribute to honour their former goalkeeper, known as The Legend.

Alan Knight played 801 games for Portsmouth Football Club in a career which stretched from 1978 to 2000 - a record for a keeper at a single English club.

The 65-year-old died on Tuesday after being diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2024. Fans and former players have been remembering Knight who they have described as "a proper Pompey man".

"I don't know why there wouldn't be a statue of Alan Knight, I don't know why there wouldn't be a stand named after him," said Joe Hepworth, a lifelong Portsmouth fan.

He said the news of Knight's death was "devastating to the whole Pompey family and the wider city as well" and he is one of a number of fans calling for "a fitting tribute" to the keeper.

The club is yet to announce any plans for a permanent tribute to Knight but Hepworth acknowledged that perhaps the most important legacy was that the former player "had the opportunity during life to feel the love from the supporters".

"For 20-odd years you turned up at Fratton Park and if Knightsy wasn't in goal you wondered if the game was off," said former Portsmouth Chairman Iain McInnes.

He remembers how Knight was "ever-present" at the club since he kept a clean sheet on his debut against Rotherham in the old Division Three, aged 16.

Knight holds the record number of appearances for a keeper at a single English club and he represented Portsmouth in all four divisions during his lengthy career.

He went on to coach the team after he hung up his gloves and was awarded the honour of Freedom of the City of Portsmouth in 2025 at Fratton Park.

Former left-back Paul Hardyman, played with Knight in the 80s and told BBC Radio Solent that he was a "great bloke" with "a dry sense of humour" and "a pivotal person at the club".

Mark Kelly, a winger who played alongside Knight between 1987 and 1993 echoed these tributes.

He said it was Knight's "affinity" with the city that kept him as Portsmouth's number one for so long, despite interest from other teams.

He believes the keeper will be remembered for "always quietly giving advice" on and off the pitch.

Knight spoke candidly about his struggles with alcohol and his mental health during his playing days and openly discussed his prostate cancer diagnosis, raising awareness of the condition.

"It led to a personal journey between me and him," said Kelly.

Kelly was diagnosed with prostate cancer after a charity game organised by Knight, inspired him to go for a check-up.

He remembered how his former teammate would regularly offer support during this time and laughed about how the pair would have "prostate cancer coffee mornings".

"Even though he was going through all of his stuff he was still reaching out," Kelly said.

"It just sums him up really."