Ett poeng borte mot Bolton holdt ikke til at opprykket ble sikret denne ettermiddagen, men nå er det bare ett poeng unna.
Med seier hadde Pompey vært både klar for opprykk og vinner av League One. Ettersom det endte 1-1 i denne kampen, kombinert med at Derby vant sin kamp og Peterborough tapte sin, kan Pompey dårligst bli nummer tre nå. Peterborough kan ikke ta igjen Pompey nå. Det er kun Bolton og Derby som i teorien kan Pompey igjen, men Bolton er ni poeng bak med tre kamper igjen. Derby har kun to kamper igjen og er fem poeng bak.
Det betyr at Pompey er klar for opprykk med uavgjort mot Barnsley på tirsdag. Med seier er Pompey også League One-mestere. Pompey trenger ett poeng for å rykke opp, to poeng for å vinne ligaen. Gjenstående kampprogram er Barnsley (H), Wigan (H) og Lincoln (B).
Selve kampen mot Bolton lørdag var ingen stor kamp, selv om Pompey fikk en flott start på kampen. Abu Kamara vant ballen høyt i banen og gjorde deretter alt riktig. 1-o til Pompey. Kamara har blitt bedre og bedre utover i sesongen. Synd han bare er på lån fra Norwich.
Etter at Pompey tok ledelsen var det mye Bolton. De hadde stolpetreff, redninger på strek fra Pompey og til slutt utligning. På stillingen 1-1 hadde Bolton de fleste og største sjansene til å avgjøre kampen, men Pompey forsvarte seg godt og tok et svært viktig poeng. Med tap kunne det blitt mer spennende enn vi hadde likt i de siste kampene. Nå skal alt gå galt om Pompey ikke rykker opp – og det gjør det ikke.
Tirsdag kveld er det store muligheter for at Pompey er klar for opprykk.
Simple #Pompey scenario
1 point for promotion
2 points for the title(Also promoted if Bolton or Derby fail to win any game)
— Andrew Moon (@mrandrewmoon) April 13, 2024
Kamprapport fra de offisielle sidene
League One, Fratton Park, 13. april 2024:
Bolton Wanderers – Portsmouth 1-1 (1-1)
7. min. 0-1 Abu Kamara
36. min. 1-1 Collins
Pompey (4-2-3-1): Norris; Rafferty, Raggett, Shaughnessy, Ogilvie; Pack (c), Moxon (Anjorin 46); Kamara, Lang (Saydee 58), Lane (Whyte 58); Bishop (Yengi 58)
Ikke benyttede reserver: Macey, Sparkes, Evans
Gult kort: Lang
Tilskuere: 25,738 (2,665 Pompey fans)
Kommentarer fra hovedtrener John Mousinho
«I was really displeased with the way we responded to going ahead after such a bright start. We were excellent, we got the goal and then we seemed to just go into our shells a little bit – perhaps the occasion got the better of us.
There were some uncharacteristic decisions, we slashed at clearances and we weren’t tracking runners. I thought the Bolton goal was coming, but then we clicked back into gear and were decent again, although needed the break to regroup.
The second half was a good game of football and we were able to wrestle some control back, creating decent chances on the counter. Bolton will probably consider themselves a bit unlucky, but our job – not that we set up that way – was not to lose.
We know what we need to do now on Tuesday and we’ll make sure to prepare properly. The rewards will certainly be there at the back of our mind.”
Kommentarer fra kaptein Marlon Pack
«Taking away the circumstances, would you take a point at Bolton before the game? Perhaps. We grew into the match more in the second half and had real opportunities, but they’re a really good side.
They were probably thinking they had to win and after the early goal, we were probably thinking we had to hold on to that. But the performance – including from the fans – and the way we defended our box and won those duels, just shows our collective spirit.
You look at the quality and athleticism we brought off the bench and I thought we’d have a real opportunity. Tino had a fantastic cameo when he came on and we might have had a penalty shout at the end as well.
You want to win promotion as soon as possible, but it does give us a chance to do it at Fratton Park and as a Pompey boy, that would be special. I have the same number of ticket requests for every game, although some of the other lads probably have a few people coming out of the woodwork!”
