I wonder as to why it was necessary for the team to use air transport for a relatively short distance in the first place.
I would imagine it would require a coach to take the team from Stoke to East Midland Airport, then after all of the security and boarding procedures, fly to Eastleigh (Southampton), then board a coach to Fratton Park (Portsmouth FC).
After the game, the same trip and modes of transport would be used on a return journey.
It surely would have been more simpler, cheaper and indeed quicker to make a direct coach trip from Stoke to Portsmouth which is only around 160 miles.
By road, I reckon a direct trip would take no longer than three hours as nearly all of the journey is motorway.
If there was a logistical or financial reason for using air AND road transportation to travel to the game, I certainly fail to see it.