The fans final: Football's special day at Wembley

Has football lost its soul? Tell that to Jane Osterholm, one of the tens of thousands of Portsmouth fans who celebrated their team's 1-0 victory in the FA Cup at Wembley. It was the first time Portsmouth had won the cup since 1939, and a proper old-fashioned knees-up ensued at the stadium, in the streets, on the coaches and on the trains heading back to the south coast. "I never thought," she said, "this would happen in my lifetime."

Try telling Harry Redknapp, too, that the game has lost its soul. The Portsmouth manager waved to his wife with a tear in his eye at the final whistle – and not just because of the win, or because he had just become the first English manager since 1995 to lift the cup. Last month his wife Sandra had to endure the death of her twin sister, Pat, mother of the England midfielder Frank Lampard. She was supported by many in the game.

"We're a very close family," said Mr Redknapp, all done up for the day in a pinstripe suit with a flower in his lapel. "My grandchildren are up there," he said, looking up at the stands. "This is a great day for them." Earlier he had hinted at retirement, saying, "I'd like to finish on a high note, as much for my wife as for myself."

It was a great day, too, for the Cardiff City fans, despite their defeat. Their team had not won the cup since 1927, and it never really looked as if it was going to yesterday either, after an error by the goalkeeper gave away the game. But Cardiff are a team from the second tier of football, the Championship, who nearly went out of business this season. Just getting this far was amazing. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United were all knocked out, but Cardiff made the final. So their fans partied anyway, staying to cheer the opposition in a way that blasé supporters of the big sides never do.

"I just hope, after this, the reality of the club carries on," said Paul Williams, a 48-year-old prison officer. "You're getting these big clubs with people coming in with all this money and expecting success straight away. I don't want that to happen to Cardiff. It's a nice, friendly little club. Football is for the fans."

It's hard to run on to the pitch at the posh new Wembley. Fans from both sides had even hugged each other on Wembley Way before the game, euphoric at just being there. The plan was to get to the stadium early to soak up the atmosphere. Most Bluebirds fans had gone by coach, scores of them leaving Cardiff and the valleys many hours earlier to get a head start down the M4. Some of Cardiff City's designated pubs in London were opening at 9am.

Meanwhile, Jane Osterholm had woken early in Portsmouth. She was up by 6.40am. "I was thinking, 'God, how can I get through all this? It's madness.'" She couldn't face breakfast, which had to wait until she had finished the two-hour drive north to Uxbridge station, where she sat in a pub with her wavy foam FA Cup on the table, blue highlights in her hair.

Jane got into Pompey at the age of 18, because the owner of the record shop she worked in got free tickets. "I became addicted to it. I loved the atmosphere; I loved the whole game. My husband died of cancer in 1998, and I used to go with him. Then I started going with a friend."

Yesterday they joined hundreds of Pompey fans making their way on the Tube to Wembley Park, the giant white-painted steel arch over the stadium just visible against the steel-grey sky. That did nothing for the butterflies. "It's nerve-racking," Jane admitted. "It feels like I'm going to be playing myself – it's that bad. It's just a day of memories that will last the rest of my life."

With Portsmouth taking the lead in the first half, the rest of the game was an agony of tension and prayer that they could hang on to it. When the whistle blew, she was remarkably calm. "I'll probably have a couple of drinks tonight. We'll be back here at Wembley for the Charity Shield and we're in Europe now. It's a dream come true."

For Paul, defeat was painful, but not bitter. "I couldn't have wanted any more," he said. "I've had a day out with my dad at Wembley. And good luck to Portsmouth.

"There were just good supporters having a good time. Now everyone's mingling, and they're having a good laugh."

Winners or losers, that was true for most of the 90,000 fans inside the stadium. Football got its soul back at this year's FA Cup final, by coming home: back to the people.

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