«Up where we belong», kunne fansene have sunget efter dagens sikre sejr

AV: Steen Houman

Det er Joe Cockers berømte sang, Up were we belong, der på mange måder er fortællingen om Pompey i denne kamp.

For Pompey skal være med fremme og målet hedder oprykning. Efter en noget haltende sæsonstart, hvor forsvaret nok har stået fint, men hvor det massive overtag i kampene ikke har kastet mange mål af sig.

Så var 3-0 sejren over Crawley forhåbentlig startskuddet til en stime, hvor holdet bliver ved at hente point.

Det var gæsterne der havde mulighed for den første chance, men efter dette, ja så var det one way traffic og på ingen tid havde Pompey fået en 2-0 føring, først med oplæg fra Enda Stevens der sendte bolden ind i hovedet på Curtis Main til føringsmålet, kort efter blev det til 2-0 da Danny Rose snuppede bolden og spillede den til Gary Roberts som scorede.

Crawley ville nok gerne ind i kampen igen, men Pompey styrede alt og det 3 mål var ikke langt væk. Lalkovic som var en af banens bedste viste kvalitet og hans afslutning voldte så meget besvær for Crawleys keeper at Mainkunne score sit andet mål i kampen til 3-0.

Efter pausen kom Crawley som sådan ud med gode intentioner, men Pompey var for gode og Cook var tilfreds med 3-0, så der skete ikke det store i anden halvleg.

Med sejren rykker Pompey op i top 4, men det er som altid her i starten særdeles tæt. Fra nummer 1 til nummer 10 er der blot 4 point.

For Pompey handler det om at holde ved og keep moving med spillet, og mon ikke at det var klumpen i ketchupflasken for Pompey.

Ligeså at Curtis Main vel nu har sat sig på pladsen som vores angriber.

Ligeså var det faktisk clean sheet nummer 4 i træk for Pompey i ligasammenhæng. Så kan vi holde os stabile og skabe luft til hold under os, så ser det fornuftigt ud.

Pompey-manager Paul Cook:

‘I thought we were excellent – it was how home games should pan out. ‘We were terrific and everything we worked on all week came to fruition. ‘The lads were aggressive and won every second ball. ‘We created a lot of chances and deserved to go in at half-time in the position we were. ‘I must go on record as saying I think Crawley are going to be a good side. ‘They showed signs of being a quality team, but we didn’t really allow them any chances.’

Crawley-manager Denny Drummond:

“The plan was initially to sit and to try and hit them on the counter-attack but I think sloppy play giving two goals away put them in the driving seat for the game. “And then the third one just before half-time has killed us.”

In the first half they pressed us and we still didn’t turn them around, we still tried to play poor balls and not good quality balls. “We’ve come to one of the strong favourites to go up and got well beaten. “Portsmouth’s movement, their pressing and their fans, it’s some place to come, it’s some atmosphere here.”

Kommentarer fra The News:

Should have won the game by a much bigger margin. We should have had many more clean sheets by now. Why are we still not in the automatic promotion places. Just thought I’d let the nay sayers who’ve been – ridiculously – calling for Cook’s head since the start of the season feel a bit more comfortable with some (nearly) negative comments on a night when there is rightly hardly any! Great result. Great performance. Great day.

Amazing performance with a well balanced team. Last season Doyle looked our main man last year at times, but today looked like worst of the starting 11 in a good way. Basically the improvements across the team were there to see today. I thought Evans was class today and if Cook and the team let Davies go because he was the replacement, then you’ve got my vote 10 fold!!! Best football in years at Fratton Park – Well done all at Portsmouth Football Club! Especially Paul Cook who has stuck to his philosophy and got his rewards… PUP

Best opening half at Fratton Park in many years – we looked and played brilliant!! Great performances from Lalkovic, Rose, Roberts and especially Garth Evans….! After a faltering start to the season we are well and truly back on track…. credit to all staff and big slap on the back for Paul Cook – knocking back all the doubters, myself included….! PUP

Well done Cookie, the work on the training ground really paid off it seems. Misplaced passes & the ‘clicking & gelling’ that wasn’t there when we’ve ‘not been quite at it’ didn’t happen. You said you were working hard on the training ground with different approaches, and the extra speed, direct running – but most pleasingly – the *incisiveness* of our play was great to see – the best we’ve played for a while. (Maybe even since Accrington away? – although that really was a superb performance –

Crawley were not at their level). I like Bennet, but Lalkovic was superb today, and it would’ve been tough on Smith & Naismith not to reward their midweek efforts with a spot on the bench. Chuffed for Curtis Main, who deserved another go – it would’ve been great if Conor had got one 2nd half – the cherry on the cake, but that’s being greedy..! Good performances all really, the game really was over at 2v0, let alone 3v0.

Tom Davies was strong at the back, we still had the occasional lapse (if we’re honest), but there’s a lot of new players still getting used to each other. We have depth – needed too: Evans doing so well at right-back. Talbot’s hamstring, Buxton injured, (add Haunstrup & Jack, and that’s a whole back 4!).

Evans though still coming back himself, stuck to the task manfully, and did well (of course) when attacking. Pompey looked well ‘up for it’, and they didn’t (of course) when they found themselves 2v0 down. Would’ve loved Smudger Smith’s chance to have hit the back of the net, (he didn’t miss by much), just to add to his confidence gained by the midweek hat-trick.

Good time to put the subs on, shame we couldn’t do 4, and have given 10/15 minutes to Clarke too. Great to see that he’s near fitness, along with Jack’s «improving prognosis» too. And an embarassment of riches (almost) of attacking midfielders. Hope you can keep them all happy Cookie! Well done to the staff – and to the fans – there wasn’t the pressure discernible at the last 2 games, and of course it never had a chance after 8 mins (!), when we went 1v0 up and never looked back..

Onwards! 4th place and looking good. Hope the injured few recover well, and you can juggle in that cr*p cup and play the ones who need their matchtime. Is great that we’ve 4 strikers that all are different and can score – look forward to Chaplin & Hunt scoring – the latter didn’t even get a chance to come on.

…but last season (and today, with Evans playing RB), proves we need the numbers. We were out on our feet in the play-offs, and PC was trying to keep it quiet – but to recap: no keeper (at all), both Webster & Clarke injured, Stevens knock, Ben Davies not fit, Doyle not 100%, Hollands was done in the 1st leg, and Bennett, Roberts, Chaplin & McCarthy all had knocks. Plus Evans got done too. We will be grateful for the big squad at various points, you just don’t know how it’s going to pan out. Cook is the boss and knows what he’s doing. PUP!

League Two, Fratton Park, 2/9-16

Portsmouth – Crawley 3-0 (3-0)

8 min 1-0 Curtis Main

12 min 2-0 Gary Roberts

37 min 3-0 Curtis Main

Pompey: Forde, Davies, Stevens, Rose, Burgess, Baker, Doyle (capt), Lalkovic (M Smith 81), Roberts (Naismith 70), Main (Chaplin 65), Evans

Bænken: O’Brien, Clarke, Hunt, Linganzi, Smith, Naismith, Chaplin

Tilskuere: 16,347 (435 away)