Det holdt hårdt i udesejren mod bundproppen.

Pompey var storfavoritter mod bundproppen Bradford på The Valley Parade, og det blev da også til en kneben 0-1 sejr, men det holdt hårdt, særdeles hårdt.

For Bradford spillede opportunistisk og de skabte muligheder og de havde den helt store mulighed for at udligne, da de ellers var reduceret til 10 spillere og Akpan må spørge sig selv hvordan han brændte den chance.

17 afslutninger havde Bradford i kampen, men vores keeper McGillivray viste høj klasse de gange han var presset. Det er en keeper der er safehand og holde bolden og der kommer få returer fra ham. Det er den slags keepere et tophold har brug for.

Bradford startede kampen bedst inden Pompey tog over og havde deres bedste periode. Det udmøntede sig i kampens eneste mål, hvor Gareth Evans scorede på sin gamle hjemmebane, efter et fint forarbejde fra Ronan Curtis.

Pompey som havde tre ændringer til kampen i form af Jack Whatmough, Anton Walkes og Tom Naylor der var med fra start.

Pompey fastholdte de gode momenter og mulighederne for en scoring til 0-2 var tilstede, mens Bradford mod slutningen af første halvleg kom stærkt igen.

Efter tepausen kom Bradford ud med ambitioner og Pompey havde reelt ikke mere end en afslutning fra Matt Clarke som det bedste forsøg, hvor Pompey blev fløjtet offside.
Til gengæld var der muligheder for Bradford, der virkelig spillede deres chance og skabte muligheder, men Pompey stod solidt og var lidt heldige ligeså, da Akpan skød over alene med McGillivray og muligheden i overtiden, da Bradford har frispark lige uden for feltet.

Pompey kan ikke blive ved med at leve på kanten, for det var hvad Pompey gjorde i denne kamp, men stadig hentede 3 point!

Pompey assistent manager Joe Gallen:

“I know Bradford are bottom of the league, but it certainly didn’t feel like that when we came into a big stadium.

“They’ve put together a squad that certainly wasn’t designed to be where they are in the table at this stage of the season.

So we’re delighted to not only claim all three points, but also keep a clean sheet. It was a classic away performance.

“We started quite well and scored a very good goal to take the lead. It’s often hard after that because pressure will naturally come on you, but we held out.

“We’ve been working with Ronan on going both outside and inside his man because we know defenders are wary of him.

“And we all know that Gareth times his runs perfectly from the number 10 position. He’s got a centre-forward’s instinct.

“A lot of players would have perhaps leant back and blasted it high, but he gets over the ball and finished it well.

“Coming away from home and expecting the opposition not to have any chances is naïve, but we had some class on the ball and I felt we were the better team overall.”

Bradford manager David Hopkin:

“Portsmouth had one chance in the first half and one in the second. I think we’ve had five or six good chances.

“We’ve had three free headers from set-plays, we’ve had Hope Akpan’s at the end, David Ball’s free-kick and balls slashing across the six-yard box that just need a touch.

“The application was great and there were a lot of positives to take from the game. Even when we went 1-0 down, we didn’t crumble.

“But it’s a hard one to take.

“You’ve got to give them credit because they’ve hung on. But we have to do better with the chances that we did have.”

Reaktion fra Twitter

The sign of a good team is the ability to want the win more, to grind out victories.

Great result but again Pompey lacking the finishing edge. I still think Pompey will be lucky to finish in the top six as the teams behind turn up the pressure!

Unless we start stamping more authority and finding that second goal we will always invite pressure and at some stage something will have to give.

This trying to defend a 1-0 lead malarkey is going to give me a heart attack soon.

I wouldn’t take things for granted. Wasn’t expecting Pompey to win but I am glad they did so well done all of you at Pompey! Three points clear so let’s hope they keep the momentum going.

It’s a compliment when teams raise their game against us even though that notion can come across patronizing to the opposition. @officialbantams played well and for periods we’re the better side and a neutral may say a draw would’ve been deserved in the end.

I thought Pompey never had to get out of second gear today to the win that. Never looked liked getting anything they were in total control throughout.

Good turn out from their supporters especially considering their league performance and it sounded like they gave us a really tough game. Well done Bantams and good luck.

Obviously very happy to grind out yet another away win, but horrible to see #BCAFC struggle, a ground visited many times & always one of friendliest, most welcoming clubs over the decades to visit. Wishing you all the best for rest of season.

League One, Valley Parade, 3. november 2018

Bradford – Portsmoth 0-1 (0-1)

12. min. 0-1 Gareth Evans

83. min. udvisning Chicksen (2xgult)

Pompey (4-2-3-1): MacGillivray; Walkes, Whatmough, Clarke, Brown; B.Thompson, Naylor; Lowe, Evans (c) (Close 76), Curtis (Wheeler 87); Hawkins

Gult kort: Whatmough

Bænken: McGee, Burgess, Haunstrup, Mason, Pitman, Wheeler, Close

Tilskuere: 16.393 (1.289 away fans)

Under følger videoer og flere bilder fra kampen:

Gareth Evans kaptein når Brett Pitman er på benken.

Gareth Evans setter inn kampens eneste mål.