Frustration på Fratton Park da det blot blev til 1 point mod play off kandidaterne Doncaster.
Efter alle de nye spillere der er kommet til i transfervinduet, så var der nok mange en fan der var nysgerrig på hvordan Pompey ville stille op.
Et enkelt tydeligt svar blev givet, sidste sæsons topscorer for Pompey Brett Pitman er færdig i klubben. Anderledes kan det ikke være. Pitman har været andenviolin i denne sæson med Hawkins som den foretrukne angriber.
Men med nye angribere kommet til i form af Bogle og Vaughan, så var Pitman slet ikke i 18 mands truppen.
Gareth Evans var på bænken, spilleren der har været så afgørende med mål og assister sad udenfor og det betød lidt overraskende at Ben Close fik chancen som den offensive midtbane.
Første halvleg var Pompey ikke gode, og to situationer blev samtalepunktet for mange fans.
Først blev Jack Whatmough skadet. Centerbacken har før haft en alvorlig knæskade, så det værste er frygtet med den nye knæskade.
Christian Burgess blev sendt ind på banen, og Burgess der primært har fået spilletid i cupkampe, hvor han har været god, blev desværre genstand for mange et buh råb fra fansene.
En lang bold bliver fejlbedømt og så kunne Doncasters Wilks suse ned og score mod McGillivray, der var lidt for passiv!
En frustrerende første halvleg hvor manager Kenny Jackett lavede en enkelt ændring da James Vaughan blev sendt ind i stedet for Donohue.
Det gav mere energi og efter godt 10 min af anden halvleg kom udligningen da Bogle scorede fra tæt hold efter forarbejde fra Vaughn og Curtis.
Pompey søgte vindermålet men reelt var der ikke den store mulighed. 12 gange blev der afsluttet, men blot 4 ramte indenfor rammen.
Pompey er nu røget helt ud af top 2, efter at have været her i det meste af sæsonen. Med Luton 7 point foran os og sådan som de er flyvende, så er det andenpladsen Pompey skal gå efter.
Her ligger Barnsley, og de er desværre for Pompey ligeså i god form. 20 point har de hentet af 24 mulige i de sidste 8 kampe!
Her har Pompey hentet 10 point.
Så kampen hjemme på Fratton Park i slutningen af februar måned mod Barnsley kan blive afgørende.
Men mest af alt, Pompey skal til at få styr på forsvaret, der har ikke været et clean sheet siden 2-0 sejren mod Southend den 8.december, det er 10 kampe uden clean sheet og blot 3 sejre og 5 nederlag.
Pompey manager Kenny Jackett:
“It does end our losing run in the league and we have to make sure that, with new lads coming in, we’re as cohesive and efficient as we were in the first half of the season.
“We had a very consistent side for a long time and we’re now waiting for things to settle – the quicker we do that, the better.
“We had the best of the first half-hour and applied a lot of pressure, but a changeover in defence has cost us.
“There was a bit of confusion there – which shouldn’t happen – and Wilks has gone clear to put Doncaster 1-0 up.
“Again we put a lot of pressure on them right the way through the second half and there were key chances without us being able to add to Bogle’s effort.
“Omar’s calf cramped up quite badly before he came off, but two goals in two games is a great start and should encourage him.
“Our opponents were always a threat on the break and ultimately for all the territorial advantage we had – which was considerable – we couldn’t turn it into the win.”
Doncaster manager Grant McCann
“I thought we probably deserved to come in at half time even though they probably had more possession than us and we probably started the game a bit slowly. Once we got Matty Blair and Herbie Kane on the front foot we got a grip on the game for the last 15 minutes of the half. Second half, I knew they’d come on strong. They made a change and went two up front. When we conceded, I thought we were excellent, I thought we controlled the game, our three was outweighing their two and it forced Kenny Jackett to take a forward off. From there the game petered out. Their keeper has made a couple of excellent saves from Marquis and May, one going for the top corner and the other from the bottom.»
Om debutant Aaron Lewis som holdt Ronan Curtis ganske stille: “There’s no better place to make your Football League debut in League One than at Fratton Park. An old stadium, 18,000 inside, the atmosphere was brilliant and he just got on with his job, he was calm, assured, tidy in possession. He can give it a bit as well. He’s got something about him. He’s a good player Aaron, that is why we brought him to the football club.”
«He was up against one of the best wide players in the league and dealt with him very comfortably indeed. I was worried when he got a booking early on in the game but he never got himself into any trouble at all.»
Kommentarer fra Twitter
It’s easy playing the game from the back of the stand or from the comfort of your own sofa! I bet if these “fans” that gave players abuse stepped on the pitch they couldn’t control a beach ball! #Pompey
I’m a massive fan of
. He’s fantastic on & off the pitch. Some fans clearly looking for a scapegoat like they did with Smith & Bennett. The big man played a massive part in getting us out of league 2 & Can do the same in league 1. #Pompey #BruisedButNeverBroken
Might be an Unpopular opinion but I think Ben Close is a class player #pompey
16 matches remain – possibly more if play-offs. Goals will be scored and yes mistakes will be made too along the way. Win as a team, draw/lose as a team. That’s football. #Pompey’s 12th man more important than ever. Believe. Let’s do it. PUP!
Not the best performance from us yesterday but we definitely deserved the win! Close and Naylor Superb in that cm role.. made a massive difference when we played two up top in Vaughan and Bogle. Onto qpr Tuesday and Plymouth next Saturday. Keep the faith
All the fire power in the world (L1 standard) means nothing without a midfield able to create chances & bring the ball forward. Hoof ball is not the answer… To easy to defend against & teams have worked us out. Worrying the great 1st half of the season may go to waste. #Pompey
Great save by
at the death to make sure we weren’t caught by a sucker punch #pompey
Watching it back, all he needed was a touch to put it out of play, didn’t think he had a bad game after this but no need to abuse him on Twitter #Pompey. We came back into the game and when scored Doncaster resulted in time wasting to kill any momentum in the game…
Burgess has lacked game time and therefore match fitness. The error was as a collective along the back four and keeper, it isn’t right to pinpoint any player. If we want to be successful, back every player at this club fully – we’re Pompey after all #Pompey
League One, Fratton Park, 2. februar
Portsmouth – Doncaster 1-1 (0-1)
30 min 0-1 Wilks
54 min 1-1 Omar Bogle
Pompey (4-2-3-1): MacGillivray; Thompson, Whatmough (Burgess 28), Clarke, Brown; Naylor (c), Donohue (Vaughan 46); Lowe, Close, Curtis; Bogle (Evans 77)
Gule kort: Thompson, Lowe, Burgess, Naylor
Bænken: Bass, May, Isgrove, Hawkins, Vaughan, Evans, Burgess
Tilskuere: 17.800 (480 away fans)