There's a certain antipodean air about Fratton Park these days.
With January's arrival of centre-back Hayden Matthews, Championship side Portsmouth now has four Australian players on its books.
Matthews, 20, has joined strikers Kusini Yengi, 26, and Thomas Waddingham, 19, and left-back Jacob Farrell, 22, in moving to England's south coast.
Four of Australia's brightest young talents, all vying for game-time under the watchful eye of head coach John Mousinho.
Portsmouth's scouts seem have been keeping a close eye on the A-League, and the club has invested heavily in a foursome that could form the spine of the Socceroos for years to come.
That time may come sooner than expected, too. Matthews and Yengi have already tasted Socceroos experience during Australia's qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and it's easily conceivable that Farrell and Waddingham -- who both left the A-League tagged as future internationals -- could work their way into Tony Popovic's squad by the time the showpiece tournament kicks-off in just over 18 months' time.
Indeed, it was the Socceroos connection with Yengi that helped Matthews decide to make the move to Portsmouth from Sydney FC in January for a reported £1.26 million.
"He was the only one I knew before I came here -- he said great things about Portsmouth and was a big reason I signed," Matthews told ESPN.
Matthews has also developed a friendship with Waddingham -- who had a dream start scoring on debut against West Bromwich Albion following his own January move -- with the young pair away from their families for the first time.
"Thomas is on the same journey as me, leaving his family to come here," Matthews said. "To have someone on the exact same path as me, it's made things easier. We spend a lot of time together."
The depth of Australian talent at Portsmouth means the club is now being keenly followed by many football fans Down Under, echoing David O'Leary's Leeds United team of the early 2000s. Like Portsmouth, Leeds had a swathe of Australians in the squad during the first few years of the millennium, from Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka, to the likes of Jacob Burns, Paul Okon and Hayden Foxe.
Portsmouth, however, aren't chasing Champions League glory like Leeds were. While they swept all before them in their surprise FA Cup win in 2008 during a spell of seven consecutive years in the Premier League, Pompey haven't been back to English football's top table since relegation in 2010. At one point, the famous south coast club even dropped to League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The past two decades have been quite a rollercoaster for Pompey fans.
Last season, Mousinho's side secured promotion back to the Championship, thanks in part to Yengi, who banged in 13 goals in all competitions, prompting many fans to dream of a long-awaited return to the Premier League. While Matthews was aware of the club before joining -- and its Australian alumni like the aforementioned Foxe, John Aloisi and Craig Foster -- living in the city has exceeded any of his expectations.
"They have a massive history and an immense supporter base. It's one of those things where you know of the club, but you don't know how big it really is until you are living inside of it and the city," Matthews said.
"The special part about the town of Portsmouth is that the majority of people support Pompey. There is a real buzz in the city after a good result. You can feel the excitement going to the game, you see them walking from miles away to get to the stadium.
"They played in Europe in 2009 after winning the FA Cup, and they still talk about the day AC Milan came to Fratton Park."
It's been a whirlwind start to life in Portsmouth for Matthews. The 20-year-old was given his Championship debut against Millwall, just four days after landing in the United Kingdom.
"I landed Thursday morning, had my medical Friday ... Tuesday I was starting," Matthews laughed. "It's an opportunity you dream of."
The centre-back made appearances in the next five games, starting the last two, in a series of excellent performances that included being named man of the match in a 2-0 win over Oxford United.
Just as Matthews appeared to have locked down a starting position, however, his season was cruelly ended by a serious ankle injury in the 2-1 win over Queens Park Rangers, which required a major operation. Similarly, Farrell's season has been curtailed due to knee problems and Yengi, who had just returned from his own lengthy injury lay-off, is back on the treatment table again after picking up a hamstring injury on Socceroos duty last week.
That means that Waddingham is Portsmouth's only Australian fit for selection for this weekend's crunch clash with Blackburn Rovers at Fratton Park. With the club sitting just four points clear of the relegation zone with eight games left to play, Saturday's match could be pivotal -- not just in terms of Portsmouth staying in the Championship, but for the future of four Socceroos. Australia will be watching.