Tales from a football club’s most legendary living players have been chronicled in a regional daily sports writer’s new book.

Neil Allen, chief sports writer at The News, Portsmouth, has written Played Up Pompey, which features in-depth interviews with 24 former Portsmouth FC stars whose combined service for the club spans eight decades.

Among those to have spoken to Neil for the book were Ron Saunders, who played for the club from 1958 to 1964 and went on to manage Aston Villa to a league title in 1981.

Now a recluse who has lost interest in football and is usually reluctant to speak to members of the press, Neil was able to persuade him to relive his playing days for the book.

The front and back cover of Played Up Pompey

Lindy Delaphena, the last living man to win a league title with the club, was also tracked down in his native Jamaica in what Neil described as “a real coup”.

More recent players to feature include Robert Prosinečki, who spent the 2001-02 season with the club, as well as former England international Paul Merson.

Said Neil: “I wanted to cover a broad range of eras and some of the players who wouldn’t normally speak.

“I’ve loved it. It’s been a real labour of love.”

Neil has worked for The News for 15 years, including eight years in his current role.

He began tracing and interviewing the 24 players featured last September.

Each player was asked to recall their favourite game for the club, and Neil has also printed the corresponding reproduced match reports from the paper’s archives.

The book, produced in association with The News, will go on general release later this month.

Neil added: “These are very popular characters in the club’s history and it’s been lovely to speak to them at a time when Portsmouth haven’t been doing so well.

“It’s been nice to relive happy memories with a lot of players from different eras.”

Played Up Pompey is available now from Amazon.