O’Neil: Great Escape was better than sex – and I nearly joined Liverpool not Boro
GARY O’NEIL regards Pompey’s Great Escape as his favourite career moment and declared: It was better than sex.
The midfielder insists the feeling after victory at Wigan in April 2006 – which ensured the Blues avoided relegation from the Premiership – was like no other.
Pompey were heading for the drop following a dismal start to the 2005-06 campaign, with Alain Perrin sacked in the November.
But Harry Redknapp returned to the Fratton Park hot seat – little more than a year after leaving for rivals Southampton – and helped steer Pompey to safety.
Pedro Mendes’ two wonder strikes against Manchester City sparked a run of five wins and two draws from eight games.
Pompey hauled themselves out of the bottom three and made the trip to Wigan on the penultimate day of the campaign looking to secure their top-flight status.
A Benjani strike and Matt Taylor penalty delivered a 2-1 success and ensured survival.
Despite O’Neil winning three promotions in his career, the emotions after the final whistle at the JJB Stadium were superior.
Speaking to Talksport, he said: ‘Staying up for Portsmouth at Wigan (was the best moment of my career).
‘We were like 21 points behind when Harry came back from Southampton and had been written off.
‘Even I thought we would never turn it around.
‘We had the whole away end sold out, like 5,000 Portsmouth fans and it was a really special day.’
When asked whether the feeling at the final whistle or sex was better, O’Neil replied: ‘That moment.’ O’Neil left Pompey for Middlesbrough in August 2007.
He added: ‘I had Liverpool (lined up) when Rafa Benitez was in charge. ‘It was all sort of agreed, all going to go through.
‘Then I got a phone call off an agent I didn’t know saying “if you don't let me do it, it’s not going to happen”.
‘I got a call off my agent a couple of days later saying they’d pulled it.
‘I have never heard of the agent since. I thought I was going in the next window. I don’t know how real it was, I was only young.
‘I thought I was nowhere near ready but thought let’s roll with it and get better when I get there.’ Pompey banked 17 points in their final eight games to beat the drop