There is a saying that football is a funny old game and yesterday it took just sixty minutes play to show that as a gross understatement.
After thirty eight minutes fans were voicing their frustrations as Pompey inextricably slipped to a three goals deficit. Comments such as ‘worse than last season` and ‘ere we go again` were rife as fans headed for an early cup of tea.
On ninety five minutes the same fans are on their feet cheering the same team as Jayden Stockley dived to head home Adam Webster`s cross to gain an what at times seemed an unlikely 3-3 draw.
Morecambe came to Fratton Park without the suspended Ryan Edwards and Kevin Ellison and were given little chance unless they followed Crawley`s example and park the bus. They were to surprise Pompey by trying to harry them out of their passing game and then hitting the home side on the break. That was certainly the case with the opener as Pompey over committed themselves at a corner which was cleared quickly, Michael Doyle slipped and Ben Davies` clearance ricocheted into Barkhuizen`s path, with the wide-man smashing a shot past the helpless Brian Murphy.
From there things went from bad to worse as Morecambe added two more headed goals from Alan Goodall and Andy Fleming. What is going on the fans asked each other? Pompey had to get something back before half time and Gary Roberts provided that spark when he curled home a free kick after he had been felled on the edge of the box.
Pompey came out for the second period with their manager`s words ringing in their ears but it took until the sixty five minutes when Pompey won a corner of the left and the ball was played short to Roberts and he cut inside and curled home a lovely shot to reduce the deficit to one. Shortly after that the task for Pompey became greater as Enda Stevens was given a second yellow card for a challenge with Aaron McGowan.
Cookie decided to throw on Webster for Davies who although playing was not as fit as he would have liked. It meant Pompey had a back three but Doyle dropped into that line in an attempt to ensure the ball was well utilised. From there on it was all drama with Matt Clarke hitting the bar Stockley and Webster both heading over and fellow sub Adam McGurk missing the best chance with his first touch. It seemed all was in vain until that 95th minute.
Pompey (4-2-3-1): Murphy; Davies (Webster 74), Burgess, Clarke, Stevens; Atangana, Doyle (c); Evans (McGurk 79), Roberts, Bennett; Tubbs (Stockley 70)
Goals: Roberts 42, 65, Stockley 90+5
Sent off: Stevens (two yellow cards)
Booked: Burgess
Subs not used: Jones, Haunstrup, Hollands, Chaplin
Referee: Roger East
Attendance: 16,052 (69 away fans)
Has it happened before I was asked last night and the only one I can remember is back in 1966 when Norwich took a 3-0 lead at the Park and Ray Hiron(2) and Bobby Kellard pegged them back
Talking of Kellard reminded me of the cup tie with Swindon in 1974 when he scored a last minute penalty to tie the scores at 3-3. Pompey only came back from 3-1 that day. Bobby scored the winner in the replay.
Unbeaten starts – a good or a bad thing?
There seems to be almost a mad obsession that Pompey`s unbeaten start to the season must go on and on. A look back at the history of the club suggests that might be a bad thing.
In 1967/68 Pompey started with some great results I remember a 3-1 win at Norwich when Nicky Jennings scored a great hat-trick and a 1-0 win at Derby. Meanwhile back at Fratton Park gates were averaging over 20,000 up on the previous season by 60%. The run in all competitions ended at game eleven when in the pouring rain Charlton romped home 4-1.
Fast forward seventeen years and a Pompey side with the goals of Alan Biley and the defensive strength of Blake and Gilbert make a great start. Stand out results were back to back wins at Birmingham and Leeds both by the only goal. Then at League game number eleven and again in South London, Wimbledon got the better of Pompey winning 3-2 on a very windy day at Plough Lane. That was of course the famous day when Noel Blake past Alan Knight who was bent down rubbing his knee – it meant the Dons scored without touching the ball as it followed a kick off!
So we had god starts to both seasons and lost the record in South London but the other thing those two seasons had in common was that promotion was not achieved in either.
Pompey have won five league titles since the war and the number of unbeaten games at the start of each of the those seasons was
? 1948/49 First Division – thirteen – nine wins four draws
? 1949/50 First Division – two – one win one draw
? 1961/62 Third Division – twelve – eight wins four draws
? 1982/83 Third Division – five – three wins two draws
? 2002/03 Division One – nine – eight wins one draw
So make what you will of those figures but a long unbeaten start does not guarantee success and can often put extra pressure on a side. Remember the Arsenal Invincibles of 2003/04 when the microscope was on them every time they played. Life would have been so much easier for them if Robert Pires had not taken that dive at Highbury and Pompey had held on to the one goal lead given them by Teddy Sheringham. They would have still been champions but would have had far less pressure during the season!
Argyle pay the penalty – twice
A rarity happened last weekend when Pompey were awarded and scored two penalties at Plymouth. When asked about it after the game I recalled that it happened before – well almost!
We need to go back fifty years to 21 August 1965 and the visit of Argyle to Fratton Park. It was a famous day in history of English football as substitutes were allowed for the first time. Strangely Plymouth suffered an injury problem before the game and were unable to name a twelfth man. Pompey won the game 4-1 with goals from Cliff Portwood (2), John McClelland and a Brian Lewis penalty. Lewis missed a second spot kick when keeper Noel Dwyer managed to block his shot – I think that was his only failure from twelve yards in a Pompey shirt.
On the substitute subject only one was allowed in those days and the player replaced had to be injured. How the game has changed in the years I have been watching.
PUP
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