Andy Petterson spent two and a half years trying to get away from Fratton Park.

Now fate has decreed he will be going back there on Saturday with Albion, trying to stop big-spending Pompey in their tracks.

The Australian keeper is in line for his away debut for the Seagulls against a very different Portsmouth to the club he joined four years ago.

Money is no object now under chairman Milan Mandaric. Manager Harry Redknapp is making signings galore, including the likes of former Premier League players Paul Merson and Gianluca Festa.

It's a far cry from the situation when Pompey drafted Petterson in on loan from Charlton in November 1998.

"Portsmouth were in financial trouble and down at the bottom of the table," Petterson recalled. "I went there for three months and everything went very well. Then in the summer I was out of contract at Charlton.

"Portsmouth were one of three clubs in for me and they offered me quite a good deal, so I decided to sign for them. Everything went well under Alan Ball for the first six months, but he got the sack and it was downhill for me from there.

"We had another four managers (Tony Pulis, Steve Claridge, Graham Rix and Redknapp) in the three years I was there and my face never fitted really. It was just unfortunate I went there. I was happy with the way it started and it was a good club to be at, but it just wasn't meant to be for me.

"My contract was up at the end of last season, but West Brom wanted a keeper before deadline day. They took over my contract for the rest of the season and that was how I ended up leaving the club, but basically for two and a half years I was looking to get away for most of that time anyway.

"With injuries and not getting many games it was hard to get myself a move."

Petterson expects to be well received by the Portsmouth faithful if, as expected, he continues to deputise for the injured Michel Kuipers.

"I don't know how long Michel is going to be out for, but it would be good to go back there," he said. "I think I will probably get a good reception. I got on very well with the fans, especially when I was on loan.

"I never really got a chance to say goodbye to them because I didn't play much after that."

Albion are the 12th club Petterson, 33 next month, has played for during a varied career in England.

The Freemantle-born shot-stopper was at Luton for four seasons before making his League debut for the Hatters in 1992-93.

He joined Charlton for £85,000 in July 1994 and played for them in the Premier League and First Division.

He was No. 2 to Sasa Ilic when he was loaned to Portsmouth. By the time he went back he had been overtaken by Simon Royce, who had a loan spell with Albion last season.

Petterson is accustomed to being classed as a temporary custodian.

He has also had loan stints at Ipswich (three times), Swindon, Bradford, Plymouth, Colchester, Wolves, Torquay and West Brom.

Signed as cover for Kuipers before the start of the season, he made a sound start to his Albion career in Monday's 2-0 home defeat by Walsall and was blameless for the Saddlers' two goals in the opening seven minutes.

"It was definitely not the result I wanted on my debut," Petterson said. "They killed us off early on.

"I was quite pleased with my performance. It was my first first team game for over a year, but the result didn't go our way and that's what it is all about."

Petterson has every incentive to repeat Mark Beeney's clean sheet in Albion's goalless draw on their last visit to Fratton Park a decade ago.

"My month contract expires the day after the Millwall game," he explained.

"It's usually the way with goalkeepers that you get your chance when somebody else is injured.

"That is probably part of the reason I was brought into the club anyway, because Michel was struggling with his thigh."

Saturday's showdown also marks a nostalgic return to Fratton Park for manager Martin Hinshelwood and stand-in stopper Robbie Pethick.

Hinshelwood joined the coaching staff at Portsmouth in 1994, just months after his first spell with the Seagulls ended in acrimony.

"Jim Smith appointed me as youth team coach," he said. "Unfortunately Jim then got the sack. Terry Fenwick came in and for the next three and a half years I did the youth team and reserves and thoroughly enjoyed it."

Pethick made 189 League appearances in six seasons for Pompey before moving to Bristol Rovers for £15,000 in February 1999.

The Albion connections do not end there. Paul Kitson's hopes of settling a score with Redknapp, his former boss at West Ham, have been threatened by a hamstring injury which could mean a starting place for Shaun Wilkinson.

The young striker was born in Portsmouth. He still lives there and admitted to the Sports Argus last Saturday that he is a fan of the Seagulls' south coast neighbours.

Club captain Paul Rogers was also Portsmouth-born but like Wilkinson has never played for them.