Gillingham and Portsmouth FC will share same stance on Tottenham export | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur academy product Connor Ogilvie has been a class act for both Gillingham and Portsmouth

League Two Gillingham, who were relegated to the fourth tier in 2022, and Championship Portsmouth, who sealed promotion from League One last campaign, do not share as much in common as when they were both competing alongside each other in the third tier during 2021/22.

Meanwhile, as recently as the 2020/21 League One season, Pompey finished eighth in the third tier table on 72 points, while the Gills finished just five points and two places behind the Hampshire outfit.

But nowadays, these two clubs are the solid margin of two divisions apart, while a glance at the 2020/21 third tier table provides a strong case study of how quickly matters move on in football.

That League One season involved Ipswich Town, now of the Premier League, as well as Rochdale, who have subsequently fallen down to non-league, and Plymouth Argyle, who are now embarking on their second consecutive Championship term, finished just 18th in the third tier, just shy of four years ago.

A sizeable gap may have emerged between Pompey and the Gills now, but both clubs will share a mutual feeling when it comes to Tottenham Hotspur academy product Connor Ogilvie.

After rising through the youth academy ranks at Spurs, Ogilvie never made it at first team level for the north London club, and instead spent the entirety of the 2015/16 season on loan at Stevenage, then of League Two.

The former England youth international had established his attacking threat from full-back while plying his trade in the fourth tier, as he notched one goal and two assists.

But upon his return to Spurs, Ogilvie once again struggled for first team minutes, and was deployed on loan to Stevenage once more, during the latter half of the 2016/17 campaign.

After the left-back impressed once more in League Two, his then parent club, Tottenham, decided to deploy their man out on loan to the Gills, who were still in League One, ahead of the 2017/18 season.

Ogilvie quickly settled in to life with the Kent outfit, and made 37 appearances during his first ever campaign at third tier level, which exemplified his reliability.

The Gills were subsequently keen to keep the former Spurs man on board, and secured another loan deal for his services prior to the 2018/19 season, before capturing his services on a permanent basis during the summer of 2019.

He repaid the faith that had been instilled in him too, as he scored four goals in 33 appearances, before the campaign ended prematurely amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was during the subsequent 2020/21 season that Ogilvie demonstrated his attacking prowess, as he provided a return of four goals and four assists, which helped the Gills finish just seven points shy of the play-off places.

Pompey, meanwhile, had top-six aspirations of their own, and decided to snap the left-back up in the summer of 2021, and he proved to be an inspired addition.

He provided the Hampshire club with three seasons of strong performances in League One, most notably the 2022/23 season, in which he scored five goals, as well as creating an assist, despite the fact his side missed out on the play-offs.

The left-back also helped Pompey's third tier title winning efforts last term, as he scored twice and made an assist during 24 appearances in which he also showcased his defensive solidity.

Ogilvie played his role in a key part of Portsmouth history

The Fratton Park faithful will forever be grateful for the role Ogilvie played in their promotion from League One to the Championship, as the 2024/25 season marks the club's first at second tier level since 2011/12.

Over a decade of hardship, which included four consecutive seasons in League Two, would follow for Pompey, but they finally secured their promotion back to the Championship in 2024, and grabbed the third tier title to go with it.

Pompey supporters will have particularly happy memories of their 4-1 triumph over Northampton Town last February, a fixture in which Ogilvie scored a goal, as well as making an assist.

While Portsmouth celebrated the full-back's title-winning exploits, the Gills will also fondly remember the efforts of the former Spurs man, who showed his quality in League One time and time again for both clubs.