The latest away day adventure took us back in time, to Fratton Park, Portsmouth. I have to admit that I quite liked it; it felt like the grounds we used to visit. The toilets were on loan from Bootham Crescent. The away end, thankfully now roofed, was obviously converted terracing. We awaited the "best atmosphere in the Premier League" and looked forward to the banter with the home fans. That was obviously a lie; the atmosphere was terrible, akin to Blackburn. "Play up Pompey" rang out only if they won a corner and otherwise, it would have been silent if not for 3 idiots and two drums in a little hut in the corner of the ground. It was easily the most irritating excuse for support at any ground anywhere in the country. How do the home fans stand listening to these morons every other week? Fortunately, the Tigers on the pitch gave another good account of themselves and made the whole trip worthwhile.
Daniel Cousin recovered from his knee-knock to allow us to card an unchanged first 11. Dean Windass replaced Folan on the bench in the only change to the 18 man squad. Pompey were without Jermaine Defoe, that was good news. They started well and quickly and caught us off guard early on when Bouba Diop powered a header against the bar. Luckily, it bounced down and didn't cross the line. We didn't get into the game at all early on. We were missing some spark, movement wasn't good enough and too often, the man in possession had to choose between going backwards or making a near impossible pass attempt. Pompey's midfield pairing was quite negative and the defense sat deep, meaning there was little space in behind them and not a lot between defense and midfield. Geovanni had to move out wide to look for the ball, which took him away from the danger area and because of the lack of options on the floor, we had to hit the ball in the air and Kaboul and Distin were very powerful. Pompey enjoyed the better of the half. Crouch headed over when he should've done better, Myhill made a good save from a Diop drive and Turner blocked another goal bound effort. They then took the lead. The linesman awarded a very soft free-kick on the right, we cleared the initial effort but not very far and when it came back in, Kaboul found space on the left of our box, drew Turner out of position and crossed for Crouch to head home from close range. It was great play from their centre-back but disappointing for us, firstly to concede it, then to clear poorly and then to leave Crouch unmarked. That apart, we dealt well with Crouch. Zayatte won a good portion of headers against him and when we lost the header, we did a great job of picking up the ball when it dropped; Ricketts in particular did well to pick up these loose balls. After the goal, we kept them pretty quite, except for a couple of corners but we didn't generate any pressure until it was nearly half time. A nice pass found King one on one but the ball took it's time to move across him ready for the strike and by that time, Distin recovered to make a terrific challenge. Then Geovanni hit on of his shots from 30 yards, on an angle and it smashed against the crossbar. We went into the break feeling that we should have been level but could easily have been 2 or 3 behind and knowing that we hadn't played nearly well enough.
Phil Brown sent out an unchanged 11 for the second half as he tends to do. He'll also have been encouraged by the finish to the first period. We were the better team for much of the second half and much improved on the first half but it still wasn't up to the standard we've set for ourselves. We got Cousin on the ball more, he was our best attacking weapon and we found a way to give him a chance to run at defenders and to win the ball in the air. Pompey looked vulnerable as Ash headed over from a corner and then King hit a shot from distance that James didn't deal with at all well. We won another corner on our left. All of our corners had been hit deep and easily dealt with. I commented that we had to hit them deep because of Crouch protecting the near post. Right on cue, Marney hit a terrific near post delivery, Cousin headed Crouch, someone headed the ball on and Turner arrived around the back to hammer a header into the net. We were deservedly level, coping easily with them and finding another gear in attack. Geovanni found King wide, he chipped the ball in for Marney and he hit a decent volley that James did well to parry away for a corner. As we gained the ascendancy, we were hit by a sucker punch. In some ways, it was a terrific goal and in others, it was terrible. They broke down our right and McShane put the ball out for a corner. He was distraught to turn around and find that Turner was behind him and let the big man know that he expected a call. From the tame set piece, Myhill Called, McShane ducked at the near post and then Boaz punched the ball weakly at the floor. It came back in; we headed it out well and turned to face the ball. Despite a couple of errors, when the ball drops to their right back 35-40 yards out, you have a right to think you've done well. When he then controls with his chest on the run and volleys it left footed high into the air and it dips into the top corner, you know it's not your day. He'll never score another goal like that if he has a thousand goes at it. Unbelievable.
They'd introduced David Nugent, who proceeded to make Daniel Cousin look even better. He had a couple of chances at 2-1 but fell over the ball for one of them and kicked straight the ball up into the air for the other. He did produce one terrific cross from the right though. Utaka forced a good save from Myhill and then chipped over the bar from a Crouch knock-back when he should've scored. We'd gone a bit quite by this point. Only a free-kick from Geo tested the goalkeeper but it needed to be a foot higher. Windass and Halmosi replaced King and Boateng but with little effect. Halmosi worked hard but couldn't get into the right positions to deliver. Windass' main contribution was to prevent a Pompey break away by taking a sensible yellow card. Stelios joined them late on and gave a lively 10 minutes or so. He won a corner, despite fervent protests at the Pompey end that it wasn't, and then delivered it. Ashbee scrambled the ball goalwards, it flicked up into the air and then Windass headed in the equaliser to earn a valuable point. On the big screen replays, it looked more like an own goal but I'll give Deano the benefit of any doubt.
Myhill made two good stops but dealt poorly with their corner. He had no chance on either goal. He was quick off his line and gave a really good performance. He made one error but was punished badly. He has to take those balls. He gave a good call, made the right decision and took up a great position. Why he then decided to punch is anyone's guess. He needs to catch that ball and if he takes out McShane, then so be it. He's still a fantastic goalkeeper. England's number one was at the other end looking much worse than Bo.
Ricketts had another good game. His distribution let him down but defensively he looked solid. He didn't get forward much, which isn't like him but perhaps he sees that McShane has his place in the team for being solid in defence and he's concentrating on that. I have much more confidence in him after two solid outings. I'd still bring Dawson back though. McShane was fine, he made a couple of good challenges when one on one a very tricky opponent in Belhadj. He's good in the air but for the second week in a row, he looked very susceptible to pace and his crossing isn't worth a comment. Ricketts is starting to look like the better option, he needs to prove that he can defend as well as McShane does though. Zayatte was terrific again. He read the game well and did a great job in the air. He's very good on the ball. I can't help wondering if we'd be better having him play as the holding midfielder with Gardner at the back alongside Turner. Speaking of Turner, he was at his best which is absolutely terrific. He made great challenges, he was good in the air, he took control of the ball and he was strong at back and front. The goal capped off a fine individual performance. His finest moment came late in the game when he made 3 tackles in 20 seconds, two of them whilst he was on the floor.
Marney had a quiet game. He made a couple of good runs from deep but generally struggled to influence the game. He seemed to make far more forward runs than usual. Often, King or Cousin would lose out in the air and that would leave Marney stranded up field because he was working really hard to get beyond them and into a goal scoring position. He needs to shoot more, he's lost a lot of confidence in that area and so he doesn't have a go anymore. Boateng was the best of the three, he looked strong in possession and worked his socks off to get into his defensive position and then to give an option on the left when we had the ball. He made decent tackles and his passing was better than it has been recently. Ash had an off day; he looked well short of his best. In possession, he was too sluggish and panicked too often. In defense, his clearances weren't strong enough and he was more of a hindrance than anything at times. I think he's got to do more to get closer to Crouch for their goal, even if just to tug his shirt or give him a nudge. Today was the first time I didn't think Ash looked like a Premier League midfield player.
Geovanni had a couple of decent efforts and tried to find positions from which he could affect our attacking play. He'd obviously been a target of their defensive set-up because they left no space in the areas he likes to exploit and they closed him down very quickly when he got near the box. He did enough to suggest that he can still cause problems even when the opposition is determined to stop him. My only complaint is the way he can waste free-kicks by taking wild swipes at them from a ridiculous distance. Anywhere within 30 yards, he should have a go, because he's magic, but anything further needs to go into the box. He should be around them, because it will worry them and cause them to put more men in the wall, but we've got to look to Marney to deliver them, not for Geo to put them into orbit. King was quiet. I know I overuse "quiet" but I wouldn't call him poor because he worked hard to get on the ball and battled against big defenders without stamping his authority on the game. In attacking terms, "quiet" is probably the best description. His decision-making when he got wide was far better this week. Cousin looked the best attacking player. He was mobile and strong and challenged well in the air. On the floor, he's slick in possession and difficult to stop. He sometimes holds on to the ball too long but generally his movement and physicality cause a lot of problems. He looks terrific value so far. I'd like to see us deliver better from open play into the box because he's a goal threat but our delivery isn't up to standard.
The point was a good one. It keeps up our great away record, which now stands at 14 points from 21, which is phenomenal. It also keeps us picking up points. Remember, one point per game would see us survive easily. It was an enjoyable away day. The football wasn't as fluent as some we've seen but the spirit and fight in this team is incredible and it's easy to get behind them. They'll make mistakes and make bad decisions but as a fan, if you stand or sit and watch them put in this much effort and show some of the quality they have, you cannot help but love them.
The ref, Stuart Attwell, has had his problems this season but it's the second time we've seen him and I thought he was fine again. The linesman gave a few soft decisions which the ref gave but generally, he was fine. Pompey were quite physical, they are a big side, that's obviously the path some teams take at this level. Giant athletes have replaced skillful and drafty players. It works for them though, so who are we to argue? Some of their play was OK, but far too much of it was predictable. Hilariously, in the programme, there it lists their squad, at number 12 it says "The Pompey Fans". It's quite fitting really, 12 is the rating I'd give them... out of 1000.
Ratings: Myhill 7, Ricketts 7, McShane 7, Zayatte 8, Turner 9, Ashbee 5, Boateng 7 (Halmosi), Marney 6 (Stelios), Geovanni 7, King 6 (Windass), Cousin 8.