Portsmouth management are expecting big things from local lad Matt Ritchie.

Ritchie, who has penned a two-year deal, was spotted as a seven-and-a-half-year-old by then-Pompey youth guru Dave Hurst.

Having risen through the ranks, excelled at polishing Richard Hughes' boots and bounced back from breaking his leg on his full reserve-team debut, the first team is closer than ever before.

Mum Angela told The News: "Between us - myself, my husband, his gran, Doreen, and his brothers - we go to every one of his games and are very proud. He has natural ability and it's fantastic watching your son doing something he wants to achieve in.

"Obviously, we realise there is still a long way to go. But when you see him at the Walkers Stadium playing against Leicester in the FA Cup you can't help just thinking 'he's made it'.

"It's a bit of a cliche, but Matt really did start kicking a ball around as soon as he could walk.

"At the age of two he wanted his own football boots and we went everywhere to find some. Eventually we got a pair of Puma Kings in Poole. He used to take them to bed with him, they didn't leave his side. The first Pompey kit he had was at the age of three and we never used to sing Happy Birthday to him, he didn't like that. He preferred us singing the tune Football Crazy. That was Matt and every year we baked a football pitch as a cake.

"From the age of eight he started going to the Pompey School of Excellence twice a week in the evenings, and then on his 14th birthday he received a letter from the club offering a scholarship. It was the best present he could have had.

"We are so proud of him, he has worked hard for this and deserves to have got where he has so far."