Portsmouth Season Review 2013/2014: January

Last updated : 01 June 2014 By Jim Bonner

There wasn't much time to dwell on 2013 as New Year's Day saw Pompey fans travel to a wet and windy Southend-on-Sea to take on Phil Brown's team.

Richie Barker's men took the lead after dominating the first half thanks to a Sonny Bradley strike and there were enough chances created to have the game won by the break. Instead, Southend equalised with Ryan Leonard's speculatives hot taking a huge deflection to beat Trevor Carson.

Pompey continued to play well in the second half with Jed Wallace hitting the crossbar yet again but to the visitors' dismay Leonard won it in stoppage time with an unstoppable strike from range to inflict a cruel defeat on the away side.

Highlights: Southend United 2 Portsmouth 1

The performance gave Portsmouth supporters hope for the future but with the home game with Accrington Stanley called off due to a waterlogged pitch, Richie Barker went about strengthening his squad.

Daniel Alfei was loaned from Swansea and Nicky Shorey was picked up as a free agent having been released by Bristol City along with striker Ryan Taylor. Jake Jervis finally signed after a long wrangle with old side Elazigspor and John Sullivan was allowed to join Cambridge United on loan, with Ryan Bird joining him later in the month.

The new additions, Jervis excepted, would all be included in the side that travelled to Oxford for one of the most boring football matches you will ever have seen. Still, it was another clean sheet for Barker's side which showed more steel than his predecessor's.

Highlights: Oxford United 0 Portsmouth 0

Marcos Painter signed a new contract keeping him at Pompey for another month and the much anticipated signing of Wes Fogden was finally completed in time for the home match with Mansfield Town.

Fans stood for a minute's applause before the match to remember past Pompey players Johnny Phillips and Albie McCann but there wasn't much to applaud after that following a frustrating match.

After a drab first half, the Stags took the lead when Lee Stevenson had all the time in the world to score an overhead kick. Barker switched the formation to 4-4-2 and got his reward when Taylor equalised with a drive from an angle. Pompey dominated the rest of the match but couldn't find a winner with fans beginning to criticise the manager for his apparent negative tactics.

Highlights: Portsmouth 1 Mansfield Town 1

Barker continued to make adjustments to his squad by bringing in Stevenage centre back Ben Chorley and immediately naming him the new captain of the team. Adam Webster was also allowed to join Aldershot for the rest of the season.

The next match saw Pompey fans make their first ever journey to Morecambe with both sides hovering precariously above the relegation zone.

Jake Jervis gave the visitors the lead after putting the ball through the legs of Barry Roche but the Shrimps equalised when Mark Hughes' header came off the crossbar and bounced over the goal line.

The hosts would have taken the lead later in the half after Bradley tripped Padraig Amond in the box but Carson saved his spot kick. Jervis then tapped in a second goal for Pompey to re-take the lead just before the break.

The second half was a scrappy affair and Morecambe equalised after Carson failed to keep out a tame shot from Jack Redshaw. The match ended in a draw with relegation in the backs of the Pompey fans' minds.

Highlights: Morecambe 2 Portsmouth 2

The final match of the month was a midweek match played at Adams Park where Portsmouth and Wycombe met again in a game played in awful conditions.

Chorley made his debut and added some grit to the defence in what was a backs-to-the-wall performance with the home side doing all the pressing.

However, Gary Doherty looked to have tripped Fogden in the box in the second half and a penalty was awarded. Taylor stepped up and smashed the ball past Ingram to ultimately win the match for Pompey with just that one shot on target.

The Chairboys almost equalised late on with Pompey somehow surviving a goalmouth scramble and Doherty's last-minute goal ruled out for a foul as our luck held out for a change.

Highlights: Wycombe Wanderers 0 Portsmouth 1

That result was forecast to be a turning point in Pompey's season with fans now looking up the table rather than down it due to a favourable looking fixture list in February.

There was only one deadline day move and it will probably be looked back on as a mistake as David Connolly was allowed to join Oxford United for the rest of the season having fallen out with Richie Barker.

Portsmouth ended the month in 17th place with 31 points from 27 games but there was hope that a climb up the table would be coming in the following month. How wrong some of us were...