Sen slutspurt gav overbevisende sejr.

Det var nogle gode mål der blev sat ind i 1-4 sejren til Pompey ude mod Dagenham&Redbridge. Pompey stillede med samme start XI som i forrige kamp, og første halvleg, det betød Jones på mål samt Smith på toppen. Interessant var det at Murphy var på bænken, og unge Fulton var slet ikke i truppen.

Pompey havde problemer i første halvleg, Dag&Red spillede ganske godt og viste masser af energi trods deres placering som nummer chok.

De blev da også belønnet med et føringsmål, og endda et ganske fint et af slagsen, da en tæmning inde i feltet førte til at et saksespark sejlede ind i det lange hjørne, uden chance for Jones.

Dermed kunne Pompey gå til pauseteen vel vidende at det var nu de skulle steppe op. Det blev anfører Doyle der startede, da han flugtede et indlæg i mål fra kanten af feltet, en svær detalje, men ladyluck var med Pompey.

De næste to mål, er noget Pompey har oplevet, frispark sendt ind foran mål, og bum mål. Nu var det Pompey der kunne profitere og med 1-3 målet, var kampen lukket og i slutfasen fik Bennet lov at score til 1-4.

Så blev langt over halvdelen af fansene sendt hjem med godt humør, for der var faktisk flere Pompeyfans end fans fra hjemmeholdet.

Stillingen i toppen er nu:

Pompey har en kamp i hånden, mod Wimbledon.

Næste kamp for Pompey er hjemme mod Plymouth

Yderst til højre pointsnit for holdene de seneste 10 kampe

Match ratings fra The News

Paul Jones: Another competent effort 7

Ben Davies: Not at his best 6

Christian Burgess: Stepped up 8

Matt Clarke: Improved like his side 6

Enda Stevens: Attacking threat increased 7

Michael Doyle: A leader’s spirit 9

Danny Hollands: Dug in 6

Adam McGurk (1): Struggled for influence 6

Gary Roberts (2): Came to the fore 7

Kyle Bennett (3): Quality shone 9

Michael Smith: Performed for 90 minutes 7

Substitutes:

(1) Gareth Evans (79min): Made his mark – 7

(2) Marc McNulty (89min)

(3) Kal Naismith (89min)

Pompey manager Paul Cook:

“The most important thing – especially at this stage of the season – is that we won the game 4-1.

“We could be here all day talking about how bad we were at times, but I thought we were excellent in the second half.

“That’s what you expect from guys like Michael Doyle, Gary Roberts and Kyle Bennett, while Michael Smith was immense.

“Great credit must go to all the players and it’s they who deserve the plaudits for that result – they really do want to please the fans.

“I don’t think this side’s character can ever be questioned and it was a great day for us overall.

“It sets a benchmark for where we want to go in the future and we’ve got to concentrate on picking up plenty more points.

“The atmosphere in the dressing room afterwards was electric and now we’ve got a big week ahead of a game against Plymouth.”

The result saw Pompey win three successive league matches for the first time this season and strengthened their hopes of automatic promotion.

We’ve got to believe in this run we’re putting together and we can’t influence what any other side does.

“Now we just need to make sure that we all stay together on this journey until the very end.”

Dag&Red manager John Still:

“We played very well in the first half and we started the second half ok but we made 3 massive errors, and I don’t think they won the game I think we lost it. There was a stage in the second half where I heard their manager say he couldn’t see them getting back in to the game.

“I said at half time their best opportunity of scoring will be from restarts so let’s defend as normal and I can’t see them breaking us down. With the greatest respect for two of their goals we decided not to mark and it absolutely killed us.

“I said to them at half time being bold and brave isn’t just about running and chatting it’s using your head, and the marking from the two set piece goals from the same person is school boy. We’ve looked at the goals and they weren’t difficult to defend, but if you don’t mark there is nothing you can do about it.”

«In the first half I thought we played really well and until they scored I thought we played well, we were always going to bring on another forward regardless and we were always going to bring Jamie on in the game and unfortunately they scored as he was coming on but that’s life. We set up well, showed commitment and everything we were doing was fine, but you have to play with your head.

«If you were to ask my players’ one thing I said from the day I came in it would probably be that if you don’t concede from restarts you probably don’t get beat that often. It was a feature of our game earlier this season and it was a massive feature today»

Kommentarer fra The News:

Yesterdays game showed the infuriating side of our team this season & exposed a weakness that exists in the team. In the first half Pompey played without any urgency, desire or much effort. Almost expecting to win the game at a canter. Dagenham, on the other hand, put in a shift that showed their limitations as a footballing side but edged it on effort and work ethic. Without two good saves from Jones we could have gone in 3-0 down. The second half showed what this team can do, when it puts it’s mind to it. They simply outclassed a very poor side and in the end it was a matter of how many we would score. The first half was very Newport County esq where we were punished for a lethargic display, whereas the second half yesterday showed that we could be many more points better off if the team had applied itself on a more regular basis. We have got the players and the talent but, it seems, a part time heart.

Well yesterday really was a strange game to watch after such a dismal first half it just seemed to click in the second half.

Finally we managed to get that 3rd win on the bounce. Now it’s time to take this decent run of form onto Plymouth on Saturday and just take it one game at a time.

Would love to have heard Cookie’s team talk at half time. Great to see the passion from Doyle when he scored his goal which he took very well. Also got to say great overhead kick from the D&R player there was no stopping that one.

That was a massive three points yesterday now on to the next one. PUP

Talk about flatter to deceive. We were atrocious until Doyle scored. McGurk isn’t committed enough and Smith is another lumbering lad with few football skills. What is the problem with McNulty and Chaplin?

Well Done Pompey, a great result in the end. I must admit I wasn’t happy at half time and I thought we had blown it. But thanks to Michael Doyle for getting us back into and giving us the kick up the backside to go and win the game. Looking forward to next Saturday!

What a terrible first half we seemed to have no idea how to play every ball seemed to be hit long airborne looking for Smith’s head 2nd half different team same players,Doyle was everywhere we played some decent football and Dagenham were 2nd best my mate said they were poor and in the 2nd half he was right 3 wins on the trot who said that wouldn’t happen beat Plymouth next Saturday and with the right results we could be etching near 3rd place,Jones was faultless today speculative overhead kick beat him no blame but were was Fulton as Murphy was reserve goalkeeper today.

I had to sit quietly in the home end today, and my word we were awful in that 1st half.

Great result in the end but 10mins into the 2nd half I still couldn’t see it coming. It honestly felt from where I was watching that the penny finally seemed to drop once the fans started singing «this is embarrassing».

Monkey off our back with 3 wins in a row but we’ve still got a lot of work to do, Accy and BR run ins look incredibly easy in my opinion, but I’m hopeful we can get 3rd as doing it the hard way is always the Pompey way.

Also beginning to see what Cook sees in Smith, he may not be prolific but is similar to that Ryan Taylor player we’ve missed this season.

I feel we will definitely make playoffs at least now, this season has been our best for quite a few years. My only slight disappointment (like everyone’s) is the inconsitency we’ve suffered. This side is clearly capable of going up automatically had it not been for the 0-0’s, late goals and crazy defeats.

An exciting end of season awaits, can’t wait for next Saturday, huge game. Let’s try and keep the pressure on those above us.

Pup

Leauge Two, Victoria Road, 9/4-2016

Dag&Red – Portsmouth 1-4 (1-0)

34 min 1-0 Hemmings

59 min 1-1 Doyle

68 min 1-2 Burgess

85 min 1-3 Evans

88 min 1-4 Bennett

Pompey (4-2-3-1): Jones; Davies, Burgess, Clarke, Stevens; Hollands, Doyle (c); McGurk (Evans 80), Roberts (McNulty 89), Bennett (Naismith 89); Smith

Gule kort: Doyle, Smith, Clarke

Bænken: Murphy, Webster, Close, Chaplin, Evans, McNulty, Naismith

Tilskuere: 3,122 (1,659 Pompey fans)