Tilbage på sporet.
Med et mål i hver halvleg lykkedes det os at få tre points med fra det midtengelske, og dermed få en sejr i første forsøg efter 0-4 lussingen i lørdags.
Der var to ændringer i startelleveren denne aften da anfører Marlon Pack vendte tilbage efter en skade. Han afløste den karantæneramte Joe Morrell. Samtidig fik Christian Saydee chancen fra start i stedet for Paddy Lane.
Den officielle kamprapport
Eftertanken
Det var ikke prangende men solidt, og reelt var forskellen på de to mandskaber skarpheden foran mål. Den skarphed som vi flere gange har manglet, og som i lørdags kunne have givet os en anden start på kampen mod Blackpool. Dermed kom vi tilbage på sporet i første forsøg, hvilket psykologisk set kan få stor betydning lige som det selvsagt sender et signal til konkurrenterne uanset at Burton nok var den rette modstander på dette tidspunkt.
Med tanke på de skader som truppen i forvejen plages af er der kun at håbe på, at Colby Bishop kun er ude i begrænset tid. Må vi undvære ham i en længere periode kan det frygtes at koste points da vi ikke har mange alternativer at sætte ind i stedet. I det hele taget ligner angrebet den mest sårbare del af holdet, og velsagtens der at vi skal hente forstærkninger til, hvis vi har mulighed for at hente nye ansigter i januar.
Et hurtigt liga-overblik
De tre points mod Burton lunede i dobbelt forstand da flere af vore forfølgere og konkurrenter i toppen smed points. Således endte det med pointdelinger i de to topkampe Stevenage – Peterborough samt Oxford – Bolton. Derby County og Barnsley vandt derimod begge 1-0 mens Blackpool-spillerne åbenbart stadig havde armene oppe da de hjemme tabte med 1-2 til Northampton som vi møder på lørdag. I bunden sejrede Reading med hele 5-1 mod Carlisle og kom fri af 24. pladsen. Der finder vi i stedet Cheltenham igen efter at The Robins tabte med 1-2 hos Charlton.
Kommentarer fra head coach John Mousinho
“I was unbelievably pleased with the result and I thought the performance, for large parts, was excellent as well. There were some tricky periods in the second half, which we started poorly, but we dug ourselves out of that and looked a real threat going forward. After everything that’s happened in the past few days and the morale taking a blow, there were questions asked about whether that was just a blip. This was going to tell us everything about our character and I’d asked for a solid, grown-up performance. We had to show a lot of mettle and did that in practically everything we did. We remained patient and then took those opportunities. The only disappointment for me is that we didn’t put the game to bed at the end because we had plenty of chances.”
“I thought Alex was the best player on Saturday – the shining light in a poor display – and it was the same again. The only criticism I’ve had of him this season is the final product, but he’s put it together and I think he can score more from us. I’m really pleased for him.”
Et par ord fra Alex Robertson
“It’s obviously nice to get my first professional goal and it’s a massive positive for us as a team to bounce back after the weekend. I thought I’d missed because their guy was stood in my way, but I’ve been looking for that cut-back for weeks. Raffs found me in the box and I just tried to guide the ball into the side of the goal where the keeper wasn’t positioned. It was a really nice passage of play and so credit to him for finding me the way he did. Thankfully, I put it away. There was a sense of relief and the gaffer has given me the licence to get into the box, despite playing in that deeper role. Hopefully I can keep going now and score some more goals, but the main thing is that the team keeps getting results. I can’t do what I do on the pitch without the players and staff members around me – they provide me with massive confidence and belief. I think you’ve been able to see that when we do really get going, nobody can stop us. Now we need to see that from minute one to 90.”
League One, The Pirelli Stadium, 28. november 2023
Burton Albion – Portsmouth 0-2 (0-1)
38. minut: 0-1 Colby Bishop (straffespark)
63. minut: 0-2 Alex Robertson
Opstillingen (4-2-3-1): Norris; Rafferty, Raggett, Shaughnessy, Sparkes; Robertson, Pack (anfører); Kamara, Saydee (Devlin ‘77), Martin (Lane ‘67), Bishop (Yengi ‘46)
På bænken: Schofield, Towler, Hume, Stevenson, Devlin, Lane og Yengi
Advarsler: Ingen
Udvisning: Ingen
Tilskuere: 2.749, heraf 1.164 medrejsende Pompey supportere
Interview efter kampen med John Mousinho
Post-match interview med Alex Robertson
Kampens Højdepunkter
