Pompey Blogs

Sunday Chimes #152 – Dockyard Derby Day Deadlock

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Plymouth Argyle 0 Pompey 0

Pompey picked up a vital point in Devon yesterday in a nervy battle of the play-off rivals. With most of the other clubs in the mix losing this was a valuable point gained rather than two lost.

Kenny Jackett made one enforced change with Anton Walkes injured bringing in Stuart O’Keefe and playing a 4-1-4-1 formation.

The game stats showed that while the home side had the possession it was Pompey who had the better of the chances and the game swayed one way and then the other. It also sounded as though the occasion got to the teams and the chances created were snatched at by over anxious strikers.

Argyle naturally as the home side began to get the upper hand as the second period wore on but it was Pompey than finished strongly with Jamal Lowe having an effort cleared off the line by Plymouth’s on-loan Bristol City central defender Zak Vyner. Then as injury time started a Gareth Evans cross was headed against his own crossbar by Oscar Threlkeld.

The Pilgrims had won eleven of their last twelve home games so this was a good result as the teams fighting was the three play-off spots available bunch up. Charlton lost at home to Scunthorpe and Peterborough also lost on their own patch. It is going to be a bum squeaking end to the season.

Pompey (4-1-4-1): McGee; Thompson, Whatmough, Clarke, Donohue; Close; Lowe, Evans, O’Keefe (Ronan 58), Naismith; Pitman (c)
Subs not used: Bass, Burgess, Haunstrup, Deslandes, Chaplin, Hawkins

Referee: Dean Whitestone

Attendance: 14,634 (1,600 Pompey fans)

After the game Kenny Jackett told the Official Site: “It’s slightly frustrating. There were things we did well, but the bar’s been set high for us and we could have shown more bravery on the ball. We didn’t quite have that cutting edge or final ball until the last 10 or 15 minutes and that’s what we need if we want to be a really dominant team.

“For the most part it was quite a dominant away performance, though, and we probably had the standout chance of the first half. It was one that Brett Pitman would usually put away. We lost our way a bit immediately after the break, although we understood that Plymouth would come at us at some stage. But we came through that and finished very strongly, with two reasonable penalty appeals for challenges on Kal Naismith and Brett.

“There was a great goal-line clearance from the Plymouth defender when it looked like Jamal had scored, then obviously their player hit his own bar at the end. I don’t think the draw does either side a great deal of good, but it doesn’t do them much harm either. But our season is still ahead of us and that’s positive.

“I’m not disappointed with the players because we stood toe-to-toe with a very good side and the atmosphere was cracking – our fans more than played their part in that.”

New look

This is the first edition of Chimes in the new look Vital Pompey. We all hope you like the new feel and how it fits together.

Let us have your comments please.

Next week

On Tuesday Pompey travel north to Bradford to face City at Valley Parade. This is the game rearranged from early March when snow covered much of the country.

It will be meeting number thirty-eight and only four of those fixtures have been draws! The initial clash was in the FA Cup way back in 1920.

The last visit was a famous occasion as Pompey won 5-0 to celebrate winning the First Division championship and promotion to the Premier League. Toddy got himself a hat-trick to win himself the golden boot. All that and then there were the Festa boots.

Go back another five years and an equally famous day when Sammy Igoe and Johnny ‘Lager’ Durnin with two earned the points to stave off relegation. All three drawn games were in the 1980s

On Saturday Charlton Athletic come to Fratton Park in a crucial play-off clash. This is another fixture that goes back to the 1920s when the two clubs were in Division Three South and since then the clubs have met at almost every level including eight clashes in the Premier League – they have never been drawn together in the League Cup. In total there have been

The last meeting was back in 2007 when Amdy Faye scored the only goal for Charlton!

and finally……

It’s the 87th minute of the Copa MX final. It’s 0-0. The ball comes over the top, you, Santiago Garcia, just have to smash it into Row Z. Whatever you do, don’t lob your own keeper and win it for the opposition.

Thanks to the FSF as always for that video.

PUP

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'Sunday Chimes Editor'