En vigtig sejr for Pompeys 10 mand med Chaplin som målscoreren.

AV: Steen Houman

Hvordan Conor Chaplin kan få lov at score mod Cambridge på hovedet, det må være en gåde for Shaun Derry der er manager hos universitetsbyen.

Men trods sine 168 cm, ja så præsterede han at heade bolden ind på en lang aflevering fra næsten midten, og det mere eller mindre foran mål.

Hvordan de to centerbacks kan tillade sig at lade det ske, ja det må være en gåde for de to og for manager Derry.

Målet skulle vise sig at være det eneste i kampen, og dermed blev Chaplin matchvinder.

Pompey ændrede til kampen blot på en enkelt plads, da Matt Clarke kom ind i centerforsvaret sammen med Christian Burgess. Faktisk er det Burgess der smider bolden frem til målet i bedste league two stil.

Cambridge kom med gos selvtillid til kampen, 4 sejre i de seneste 6 kampe, og specielt i anden halvleg og specielt efter udvisningen til Pompey, ja der var det Cambridge der styrede kampen.

Faktisk må man sige at reelt, havde deres keeper ikke det store at gøre i kampen, bortset fra at hente bolden ud af nettet den ene gang.

Cambridge ville gerne have haft straffe i første halvleg, men Burgess og Pompey slap med skrækken.

Efter pausen var det to begivenheder der var i fokus, først efter 53 min, da alle fans på stadion klappede i et minut, til ære for den Pompeyfan der døde i ugen, og som var 53 år gammel. Fin gestus, ligeså fra Cambridgefans at bakke op.

Så kom det røde kort til Linganzi, som der ikke var en store tvivl om. Det betød 30 min, hvor Pompey var en mand i undertal. Det betød one way traffic for Cambridge trykkede på for at få udligningen, men Pompey arbejdede hårdt og fik en god arbejdssejr og ikke mindst et clean sheet.

Med godt 1/3 af kampene spillet, ja så ligger Pompey i play off feltet, 3 point op til top 3, og 3 point ned til pladsen udenfor play off.

Det afgørende for Pompey er nu at holde fast i at hente point, 7 point i de seneste 6 kampe er ikke nok! Her skal helst 10-12 point på kontoen for 6 kampe!

Pompey holder pause i ligaen, og næste weekend er det FA Cup, hvor Wycombe venter.

Player ratings:

David Forde – 8 Superb handling

Gareth Evans – 7 So much energy

Christian Burgess – 9 Absolute colossus

Matt Clarke – 8 Well-earned return to the side

Enda Stevens – 7 Resolute defending

Michael Doyle – 8 A man for the fight

Amine Linganzi – 6 Cannot complain over dismissal

Carl Baker – 7 Another strong team performance

Gary Roberts*** – 7 Chased and harried everything

Kyle Bennett* – 6 Did okay before sacrificed for steel

Conor Chaplin** – 8 Wonderful finish again

Subs:

*Danny Rose (62 mins) – Slotted in effortlessly 7

**Noel Hunt (62 mins) – Great knowhow 7

***Tom Davies (90 mins)

Cambridge manager Shaun Derry:

‘Was I the only one kind of throwing my arms around? I thought it was a penalty. ‘I thought it was a foul and it happened to be in the 18-yard box. If that had perhaps been five, 10 minutes after their goal it might have been a different kind of outcome. ‘There are going to be many of them between now and the end of the season. ‘You’re looking a little bit of consistency and perhaps, in that sense, we didn’t get it.’
‘Their two centre-halves were big players. ‘I thought Uche (Ikpeazu) caused a lot of problems again and we needed to be a bit more clinical around him. ‘In terms of them handling the prowess he brings, I thought Burgess, in particular, had a good afternoon. ‘They have probably the best players in the league and we’re talking about us being really disappointed not to have got something out of the game.’

Pompey manager Paul Cook:

“We’d had a really good training week and I keep telling people that I feel we’re really close to being a good team,”

“Sometimes I think people can get tired of that because, as a manager, it’s like you’re trying to create something and saying ‘we’re going to be all right’.

“I know the lads have got character because I see it in training, so today the character was going to be tested going down to the 10 men and being put under pressure.

“I thought they stood up to it so well it was untrue. I don’t remember Cambridge having a clear-cut chance.

“They were putting a lot of balls into the box and we were aggressive in our defending. You’ve got to do that together.

“Last week at Fratton Park the game was too easy for us and we got found out, but today we got tested and we didn’t get found out.”

Kommentarer fra The News:

So when we play well but lose the performance doesn’t count cos all that matters is the result and then when we play an unspectacular game but grind out a win people focus on the performance all of a sudden. Great result yesterday and the manner in which they got it is pleasing. Glad most are being sensible but a few people on this board really need to get a life

After last week’s performance, I would of gladly taken a point from Cambridge, as far as I’m concerned getting all 3 points is a bonus. Well done Pompey.

After last week’s performance, I would of gladly taken a point from Cambridge, as far as I’m concerned getting all 3 points is a bonus. Well done Pompey. (3) (10)   pompey1954 10:35 AM on 30/10/2016 Well done Cookie and the team for grinding out a good away win. substitutions spot on when we went down to 10 men, we did’t give Cambridge a sniff of a chance. Brilliant long high ball cross in to the box from Burgess allowing Chaplin to get between the 2 defenders and score. to earn another 3 points towards promotion.

I actually didn’t think that, granted it wasn’t the best, but entertaining enough. About the game,..Another sublime finish from Connor, Forde commanded the box superbly, maybe a little slow with his distribution, but we were ahead. Burgess was MOM, superb throughout, and in particular when we went down to ten men, seemed to win , and throw himself into everything, nice to see us hang on to the end and not concede despite the 5 minutes injury time……where did that come from??

Great 3 points and clean sheet too which are both welcome but what a poor game? Credit to the defence though today who performed heroically against a big physical team. My issue today though was us going forward. Roberts, Baker and Bennett all were poor and only Chaplin of the attackers did well? It’s time Cook changed things around as on that performance (defence apart) better teams than Cambridge will show us our short comings?

League Two, Abbey Stadium, 29/10-2016

Cambridge – Portsmouth 0-1 (0-1)

24 min 0-1 Conor Chaplin

61 min rødt kort Armine Linganzi

Pompey (4-2-3-1): Forde; Evans, Burgess, Clarke, Stevens; Linganzi, Doyle (c); Baker, Roberts (T.Davies 90+3), Bennett (Rose 62); Chaplin (Hunt 63)

Gult kort: Chaplin, Doyle, Hunt, Roberts

Bænken: O’Brien, Buxton, Lalkovic, Smith, Hunt, Rose, Davies

Tilskuere: 6,397 (1,850 Pompey fans)