Paul Cook, admittedly, is right with what he says about the outcome of the game with Oxford today not ‘deciding the final outcome’ of what happens (to either) in league two…but you sense it’ll play quite some part, right?
If, despite us having games in hand, both Plymouth and Northampton get results today if Oxford beat Pompey suddenly they open up a 7pt gap on us too – methinks that’ll make some difference!
A Blues win and we cut the gap to 1pt and leave ourselves nicely placed for the automatic promotion places and with a chance, ideally, to ‘kick-on’ if you will as we look to cement a top 3 place, which has always been the prime objective this season as we’ve got to get out of this god damn league…
For Cook though, talking to portsmouthfc.co.uk ahead of the game, it’s just a case of ‘business as usual’ for him and this nothing more than ‘the next game’ in his mind:
‘Oxford are having a fantastic season, but we’re just looking at it as the next game.
‘They’re still involved in the FA Cup like us and are also in the latter stages of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy. So their campaign is going along very nicely, but the result on Saturday won’t decide the final outcome.
‘There is going to be a massive crowd at Fratton Park and I’m sure lot of people are looking forward to watching the game.’
I think it’s fair to say ‘a lot of people are looking forward’ to the game at Fratton today, it’s got to be one of the most eagerly awaited in years!
I’m just gutted I’ll miss it – I had been looking forward to this for a while now but it wasn’t to be…
Cook admitted he’s got some ‘selection issues’ but feels sure others who come in will do a job and do it equally as well as those missing.
With the FA cup bid continuing and Accrington postponed recently it’ll mean a bit of ‘fixture congestion’ but Cookie’s now concerned by that either:
‘There’s a lot made about fixture congestion, but the lads we’ve got are very fit. It’s a long season that has highs and lows – we’re certainly on a nice curve at the minute – and so we just keep going.’
PLAY UP POMPEY!
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