Burton Albion 1 Pompey 2
By now all fans will know that Pompey fought hard for the three points which were finally grabbed by Matt Clarke in the 92nd minute.
Of course, reviews of the goal show that after it was flicked on the ball hit Nathan Thompson’s arm and dropped for Clarke. Two questions need to be answered firstly did the ball flick off Omar Bogle of the defender and was the handball intentional.
There is no definitive evidence to the first poser had it been the defender which would have meant Thommo was onside which I assume the officials believed. On the subject of the handball it definitely hit the arm as Thompson staggered forward but although there appeared to be no intention there was certainly advantage gained by the action. Why the officials missed it nobody knows but it certainly aided Pompey’s mission win of the season.
Luck does even out over the season and only two weeks ago the officials saw the Bean goal for Wycombe as an own goal!
Pompey (4-3-3): MacGillivray; Thompson, Burgess, Clarke, Brown; Close, Naylor, Evans (Curtis 77); Lowe, Hawkins (Bogle 61), Pitman (c) (Morris 61)
Goals: Close 31, Clarke 90+2
Booked: Close, Bogle
Subs not used: Bass, Walkes, Haunstrup, Solomon-Otabor
Referee: Craig Hicks
Attendance: 4,034 (1,290 Pompey fans)
Upcoming – Coventry
Next up, Easter Monday 12:30 is Coventry at Fratton Park and live on Sky Sports Football. Ahead of the game boss Kenny Jackett told the website: “Performances have been good lately and if the fans see another one on Monday then I’m sure they’ll get behind us. They were excellent at Burton on Friday – as they have been throughout the season – and are a real asset to this club.
“It’s a tight turnaround, but it’s the same for both sides and we have a good squad, so I’m confident that people could step in if required. We’re keeping the pressure on Luton and Barnsley – to have the points total we’ve got and still be in fourth position just shows the quality of this league.”
Pompey’s opponents appear likely to miss out on a top-six finish, despite losing just one of their past seven games. Jackett said: “It’s probably frustrating for them because despite the run they’ve had, the sides above them have also kept winning. That means they haven’t been able to make their late dash really pay to get into those play-off places. But it’s their first year up in League One and I’m sure they’ll be aiming to be in a similar place to us next season.
“We’ve gone a bit better after finishing eighth last time to get into a good position that we want to capitalise on and Coventry are also a very big club.
Jackett said (on Conor Chaplin): “Players go back to their old clubs all of the time, but I’ve got a lot of time for him and he’s a smashing lad. Hopefully things don’t go well for him on Monday because we’re trying to win, although I’m sure everyone in Portsmouth wishes him well.”
Dates for your diary
The EFL has confirmed fixtures for the 2019-20 season will be released on June 20 ahead of the season starting over the first weekend of August.
Fixtures for the Sky Bet Championship, League One and League Two will be made public from 9am on June 20, giving fans of all 72 clubs the chance to start plotting their travels for the new season.
Fixture Release Date – Thursday, June 20 2019, 9am
Start Date – Saturday, August 3 2019 (with a likely live game on Friday 2 August)
Carabao Cup Round One – w/c August 12 2019
Carabao Cup Final – Sunday, March 1 2020
EFL Trophy Round One – w/c September 2 2019
EFL Trophy Final – Sunday, April 5 2020
League Two Play-Off Final – Saturday, May 16 2020
League One Play-Off Final – Sunday, May 24 2020
Championship Play-Off Final – Monday, May 25 2020
And finally… keep up
What do you do when you’re holding your own against the league leaders, 1-1 in the dying moments? According to Sutton United’s goalie, you do some keepy-ups in the box while two forwards close you down, concede a penalty and hand victory to your opponents.
PUP
