Ahead of Millwall's trip to Fratton Park this week, a significant community effort involving Portsmouth supporters has highlighted the wider football family. More than 45 supporters from Brighton & Hove Albion and Portsmouth Football Club walked 23 miles across Normandy to raise money for Blind Veterans UK, honouring D-Day veterans.
The group, which included five blind veterans, departed Portsmouth on Thursday night after watching Brighton's Europa Conference League draw. Their route took them to historic sites including Pegasus Bridge, Ver-sur-Mer, and the British Normandy Memorial, which records the 22,442 people killed on D-Day and during the Battle of Normandy. They arrived in Ouistreham near Sword Beach on Friday morning, with the walk concluding on Sunday. A plaque will be unveiled at the memorial, and all proceeds will support Blind Veterans UK's regional hub in Rustington. The inclusion of five blind veterans specifically honours the same number involved in the original landings.
Steve Darby, one of the participants, described the memorial as a "very emotional place". The initiative shows the community spirit often fostered by football clubs, a context Millwall will encounter directly in their next Championship fixture. The Lions, currently 12th in the league table with 15 points from 11 games, travel to face a Portsmouth side sitting 13th on Friday. Gary Rowett's team are in a patch of inconsistent form, with their last five results reading DLWDD, including a 2-2 draw with Lincoln City last time out. Portsmouth, meanwhile, have won three of their last five matches.
Millwall's recent form shows one win, three draws and one defeat from their last five outings, a sequence that began with a 2-2 draw against Middlesbrough on 15 September and includes a 2-2 draw with West Ham on 19 September, a 1-0 win at Preston on 10 October, a 0-1 home loss to Swansea on 13 October, and the 2-2 draw with Lincoln on Saturday 17 October. In that last match, Kyrell Lisbie and Jake Cooper scored the Millwall goals to secure a point. The team's overall record this season is four wins, three draws and four losses, having scored 18 goals and conceded 18. Their top scorer this campaign is L. Dykes with four goals in 11 appearances.
This charitable walk serves as a poignant reminder of the connections beyond the pitch as Millwall prepare for a key league encounter. The match at Portsmouth's Fratton Park kicks off on Friday, 24 October.
