THE CONCRETE ROUNDABOUT (TCR)

THE MELTDOWN – PORTSMOUTH
I don’t suppose I can start in any other place than to thank our New Zealand correspondent Corner Don who stepped into the breach to give you your weekly helping of the Meltdown last weekend as I was on tour in Devon & Cornwall with my new show “Meltdown Live”.

Many thanks to him for keeping the troops happy and he did a sterling job…. many thanks J.

It’s Friday morning as I’m writing this even though it feels very much like Saturday and it’s probably going to take an old bugger like me days before I work out exactly what day it is by about Tuesday.

As usual I’m sitting here wondering what the day holds for us before getting my backside into gear and going through my usual matchday routine and making my way to the game, and as usual I’m very much looking forward to my CazBar cheeseburger.

I’ll apologise now, but unlike some I’m not totally sure we are well on the way to securing our League 1 status for another season just yet. I cannot deny the situation is much better than it was a few weeks ago, but it only takes a couple of games, and it could be a totally different picture, and it wouldn’t be football if there weren’t a few more twists and turns in the plot, and rarely does a season’s end play out just the way you think as there always seems to be a game or two that can conjure up different scenarios….I wont be happy until it is mathematically confirmed…if it is.

Saying that I am a lot more optimistic than I have been, and it looks or appears that we may just have woken from our slumbers in the nick of time.

Something had to change, and thankfully it did, and many will consider it was the return of Lewie that sparked our revival, and you won’t find me arguing.

He is and always will be a legend in my eyes, and I am grateful that I’ve been around to see it, it really is going to be a sad day when he hangs up his boots, just build the statue Pete.

I’m not really sure how I feel about the game today, Portsmouth and in particular Colby Bishop concern me. Bishop is someone we were linked with in the summer, but we will never know how serious those connections were, was it just paper talk, agent promotion, or just wishful thinking from some of our fans. The fee was probably around the £750k mark and a 3 year deal with a 1 year option so that just about puts him out of our range, but I would imagine Pompey feel it was a good investment, and when the time comes to sell they will definitely be well rewarded.

Pompey’s current form is ok without being outstanding, in fact in the last 5 games the form lines between the two teams match perfectly with 10 points gained from the 15 on offer.

Last weekend they finally got the better of relegation favourites Forest Green winning 1-0 at Fratton Park as they struggled to break down a disciplined Rovers back 5.

Although only 3 points outside the playoff places they are probably considered as outsiders to get promoted and a quick look at the betting sees them as 33/1 longshots but with their next 4 fixtures being against Morecambe (H), Shrewsbury (A), Oxford (A), and Accrington (H), that may be worth a sneaky bet, get amongst the coveted 4 places and anything could happen.

The only bit of team news I’ve heard is KaiKai has a thigh strain following his exploits in Sierra Leone and will be out and on Easter Monday as well.
Right, I’m off to the game, fingers crossed, I’ll catch you later.

Well, I’m home with mixed feelings, content with the point, but it could have been more with Pompey reduced to 10 men for nearly an hour of the game, but as we know its never easy to break down a team that had to change their whole gameplan with reduced numbers.

The Dons were unchanged but struggled to get anything going with Pompey controlling the game and it came as no surprise Conor Ogilvie was picked out at the far post and he calmly side footed it past Cumming after just 14 minutes, and it almost looked like a carbon copy of the first Wycombe goal last weekend, which is concerning, as it means someone is not doing their job, and any future opposition will be targeting this weakness.

I’m glad to say we did liven up after the goal, and the game changed dramatically in the 39th minute when Morrell was adjudged to have put his head into Harvie’s face as they tussled on the floor in the Pompey box and given a straight red. I can’t have been the only one not to have seen it, and it looks like the ref did too, but it never escaped the lino on the East Stand touchline. I’ve watched it back a few times and its hard to tell what happens, initially Harvie almost looks to have performed some sort of a martial arts type throw on Morrell but then what happens is obscured from view, honestly from what I can see there doesn’t look too much in it, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see it turned over.

From that moment the game changed and turned into a defence versus attack type scenario, with Pompey going 5 at the back, and on occasions I counted a back line of 7 holding the defensive line as the Dons set about trying to unlock the rearguard and create a meaningful chance.

Being the moaning old git that I am I was slightly disappointed how we went about our task; at times we were slow in our build up and very measured and deliberate, yes we pulled their backline from side to side, but only really Leko and Watson seemed prepared to take on the defence, that was already boasting a couple of yellow cards.

We did muster 15 shots and 11 corners but sadly only three shots found the target, the effort from Tucker probably the best, which I initially thought was just sneaking in.

Just after the hour though Mo pulled us level, a short corner routine was squared out to Paris on the edge of the box and fired in, Grigg held off a defender trying to block it and it landed in the general direction of Mo who fired it under the advancing keeper from a tight angle.

We never really created any clear chances after that despite our possession and I guess a point each was just about the right result.

With us pressing and going three at the back we had a late scare as former “Pub Team” player Joe Pigott grazed the crossbar with an effort that looked to have Cumming beaten and destined for the back of the net.

I thought we dealt pretty well with the threat of Colby Bishop as Lewie and Tucker seemed to have him well under control until his role in the game changed following the dismissal. Despite the Grigg involvement in the goal I still have to say I was disappointed in him, there were two situations that I can think off with the defender under intense pressure and Grigg clearly fouled the player and let Pompey off the hook, I really didn’t get it why you would do it, and so blatantly and think you are going to get away with it.

Not much else to say really, it’s a point closer, and in a game had it remained at 11v11 it could have been a different story, and that leads me nicely into my opinion on the ref.

Most Pompey fans won’t agree but I thought the ref did well, they are obviously a physical side and don’t mind dishing it out and the ref and rightly so dished out a few yellows for some suspect challenges, in fact the day could have been even worse with their No 20 Raggett lucky not to receive a second yellow for a foul equally as bad as the one that earnt him a yellow card.

Unfortunately, we look like we have lost Harvie for a game or worse, he was kicked sh*tless for 90 minutes and was hobbling as early as 20 minutes into the game and finally succumbed to the persistent kicking deep into injury time and received extensive treatment continuing until after the final whistle.

In other news concerning us, Accrington won as did Cambridge Utd, Cheltenham and Morecambe lost, and Oxford picked up a point against Sheffield Wednesday meaning we are still 19th but the gap is down to 3 points from the relegation zone and Accrington and Oxford still have a game in hand, there is still work to be done.

One final note, well a couple actually, well done to Dan Kemp who scored a hattrick for the “Monkey Hangers” as he tries to single handedly drag them away from the National League trap door, that’s 9 in 12 now for Kempy.

I reserve the last one for the “Pub Team” fans who must have finally thought they were going to break their winless run, leading 2-0 at Harrogate approaching injury time, they conceded in the 89th minute and the 98th minute, they must have been gutted, I’ve watched it on repeat, its great viewing.

Hang on, nearly forgot, a reminder of what I said in the CazBar Big Game Preview on Wednesday…..” with both clubs having an identical record over the last 5 games, nothing in the betting, and history unable to separate us even to the degree of a single goal, the most logical prediction is a draw, so I will go for a 1-1 draw” …..checkout the Derby preview on Sunday.

That’s it, see you soon.

WD

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Read the MELTDOWN after every game, no bullshit, just giving it straight

Thanks for the write up as always WellDon.

Sadly I feel asleep before kick off, waking up after a 70th minute text from my brother so I only caught the final 20 minutes.

Mixed feels about this. You'd take the point before the game, but feels like a missed opportunity too. It's what it is, we go again Monday

Another good write up. I didn’t see the red card incident until the card came out but it’s live on YouTube now and the player has kneed or kicked poor sweet innocent Daniel Harvie in the back after the tussle at the corner. To be fair that’s an excellent spot by the lino who was the only person in the ground who saw it.

Cummings had Pigott’s shot covered from where I was sitting in Club Red (I was right behind the shot). Overall I’d have taken the point at 2:59pm but it’s always frustrating when we are unable to break down ten men for an hour.

Portsmouth were a sharper and hungrier team until their bloke got sent off and I don’t think we get a point if that doesn’t happen. I’ll take the luck however it comes at this stage.

Great write up WD. I wouldn't say the Pompey goal was a carbon copy of the Wheeler goal. However, there were sufficient similarities to indicate that they targeted the back post after watching the goal.

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Disclaimer: All my comments are my opinions unless stated otherwise. I'm just a fan following my club.

Great report again WD.

We were saying in the East Stand, that Portsmouth always had an overload on the left hand side and didn’t surprise us when they scored from exactly that route.

Totally unmarked and drifted in with an easy finish, if we could see it why couldn’t they see it from the dugout?

I’ll take the point, but can’t help feeling we should have won this, with a player advantage for the entire second half

Yup, he was completely umarked from the short freekick that started their move for the goal. They even switched play to the other flank and not once was he picked up during the whole sequence. Watson at fault for me, as surely his man to pick up.

Wasn’t like he even ghosted in, he was unmarked for ages. Really poor defending.

Having looked at the replay, I agree, Watson was at fault, but then Leko also should have spotted him drifting in from where he was positioned. Instead he just casually ambled back letting two of their players run past him and shrugged his shoulders when he scored.