Norwich City call handed Portsmouth FC a Fratton Park cult hero | OneFootball

Sean Raggett was an exceptional servant for Portsmouth.

In EFL football it's rare to find players who are so committed to one club but you feel that Sean Raggett would have stayed at Portsmouth forever had he been offered the opportunity.

The 30-year-old had a long winding career before he ended up at Fratton Park with spells at the likes of Dover Athletic, Herne Bay and Whitstable Town. However, this immersion into non-league helped build one of Pompey's best servants in recent years.

Having paid his dues in the lower tiers of English football, Raggett joined Lincoln City in 2016, then competing in the National League. It was at Sincil Bank where he began to make a name for himself, becoming an integral part of the club's record-breaking FA Cup campaign. In a moment that will live long in the annals of the Imps' history, Raggett's dramatic late goal against Premier League Burnley at Turf Moor helped Lincoln become the first non-league side in 103 years to reach the quarter-finals of the competition.

Having impressed, Raggett secured a move to Norwich City for an undisclosed fee in the summer of 2017 but was immediately loaned back to Lincoln, where he continued to make an impact until January 2018.

Rarely afforded an opportunity upon his return to Carrow Road, loan moves to Rotherham and Portsmouth followed, but it was at the latter where he found his new home.

Raggett makes the move to Fratton Park

Having impressed during his loan spell at Portsmouth, it was no surprise that Raggett made the move permanent following his release from Norwich City. Then-manager Kenny Jackett was delighted to secure the defender’s signature, expressing to the media that the centre-back still had much more to offer to his side.

Signing an initial two-year deal, he immediately became the linchpin of Jackett's defence as he built a strong partnership with Jack Whatmough.

Although they finished in a satisfactory eighth place, a spell of bad results saw the former Wolves manager sacked in mid-March as he was replaced by Danny Cowley.

This didn’t deter Raggett’s involvement, and as a testament to his reliability, the centre-back featured in 45 League One games the following season.

Unsurprisingly, his dependability continued to see him star in 2022-23 amid another managerial change, with John Mousinho now at the helm.

But, approaching his final year under contract, it seemed that change was on the horizon and whether he would be offered a starting place with Conor Shaughnessy and Regan Poole arriving remained unclear.

Raggett shows Mousinho his worth

The early parts of his final season with the club suggested that Mousinho would favour his brand-new partnership over the former Lincoln man.

The opening 15 League One fixtures saw Raggett make just one start, with the long-term servant limited to odd appearances as a substitute.

This quickly changed though, with a season-ending injury ruling Poole out for the foreseeable. Forced to turn to the bench, the Pompey head coach would head straight for the ever-reliable Raggett, who he knew would deliver for him if given the opportunity.

What followed was a magical season for the defender and the South Coast club as he helped Pompey maintain their initial form throughout the rest of the campaign.

Over the next 31 fixtures, Raggett cemented his place in the starting lineup, featuring in 29 of them and playing a pivotal role in a defence that conceded just 41 goals across the entire campaign. His consistency was instrumental to Pompey's success and the culmination of five years of hard work was rewarded for him as a stirring comeback against Barnsley secured their spot in the Championship.

Following on from Pompey's promotion heroics, Raggett was only afforded one more opportunity to play for the club as he made his final appearance in a promotion party defeat to Wigan Athletic.

The following month, it was confirmed that he would depart the club following the expiry of his contract. This left somewhat of a sour feeling for many Pompey fans, but whether he would have been up to Championship level remains unclear.

Speaking to Radio Solent about his time at Fratton Park, Raggett said: "I feel privileged to have been able to play for this football club for such a long period of time.

"The reaction I got from the fans was pretty unexpected, and it made me a little bit emotional. It’ll stay with me forever."

This free transfer has to go down as one of the best in Portsmouth's recent history, making 239 appearances, Raggett was the essence of reliability and showed his worth across five years with the club.