Rose hails Fratton Park as a '˜special place' as he chooses Pompey over Cobblers

The 28-year-old turned down the offer of a new deal and the opportunity to stay at Sixfields and play Sky Bet League One football next season, and instead signed a two-year contract at Fratton Park.

Cobblers chairman Kelvin Thomas issued a statement about Rose not signing for Northampton on Friday, stating the club were ‘not willing to match what he was offered elsewhere’.

League two outfit Portsmouth have clearly met the player’s demands, and Rose underwent a medical at Portsmouth on Friday morning.

He signed in the afternoon, and Rose insisted the main attraction of signing for the club is playing in front of the huge support they get.

On the last day of the season, more than 18,000 packed into Fratton Park for the clash against the Cobblers - a number boosted by 3,000 travelling fans - and Rose admitted that occasion left its mark on him.

“I played the last game of the season here with Northampton and was taken aback by the atmosphere for a game that had nothing really riding on it,” Rose told portsmouthfc.co.uk

“So the opportunity to perform in front of those passionate fans week in, week out is very exciting.

“It’s a special place to play football and when the call came, it was a challenge that I was eager to accept.”

And he added: “I’m absolutely delighted. It was a deal that moved along quite quickly and the opportunity to play for a club like Pompey was one that I couldn’t turn down.

“I’m really excited about working with Paul Cook and the rest of the lads, and hopefully having a successful campaign.

“Pre-season is not the most enjoyable time, but I’m excited to get going when we return after summer break.”

While the Cobblers ran away with the Sky Bet League Two title, Portsmouth were left to battle it out in the play-offs, suffering semi-final heartbreak when they were beaten by Plymouth Argyle.

The fallen giants are now facing up to their fourth straight season in the bottom tier of the Football League, but Rose is hoping he can play his part in achieving what the south coast club’s fans believe is a long overdue promotion.

“There’s no hiding the fact that this is the biggest club in this division and there will always be certain expectations,” said Rose, who made 13 starts and two substitute appearances for the Cobblers, scoring one goal.

“But I’m sure that the squad we’ve got here – and the players who are sure to arrive – are capable of challenging for promotion.

“Having come here off the back of winning league two, I’ve got experience of what it takes and that could be useful.”