Andy Awford takes his Portsmouth team to Cheltenham tomorrow in the knowledge that another defeat would put his position as Pompey manager in a very precarious position.
Team News
Jed Wallace will be welcomed back into the team after serving his one-match suspension whilst Jack Whatmough may be back in contention to start. Andy Barcham has also recovered from a groin injury and may take his place on the bench.
Cheltenham boss Paul Buckle has hinted he may recall right back Lee Vaughan to his side after his three-match-ban with defender Steve Elliott also in contention having recovered from an injury.
The Match
With Pompey falling to defeat at home to Accrington Stanley last week, Andy Awford knows that the pressure is now on to pick up a result at Whaddon Road tomorrow despite Pompey's dire away form.
The manager has again been stating this week that his team have yet to play to their full potential and that they will be a team to be feared once they get going. The only problem is that he has been saying that all season and yet sides that welcome Pompey to their home games do so knowing that they're likely to get a result.
It's difficult to say what is worse at the moment. Pompey's current dire goalscoring record away from home, having just scored four league goals on their travels all season, or the defence in general which has never looked solid for two consecutive games.
They are two problems which Awford and his staff simply haven't got close to finding a solution for, although he will be grateful to have Wallace back given that he has scored three quarters of Pompey's league goals away from Fratton Park and often looks like the only player who is a genuine threat.
As for the problems at the back, it's imperative that Ben Chorley is dropped after his woeful performance not just against Accrington, but virtually all season, especially on the road. If Whatmough isn't fit then Joe Devera should be the one who replaces him.
As for the midfield, it is severely missing James Dunne and therefore we need to see more from Danny Hollands who still hasn't reproduced his form from last season on a consistent basis.
As for the opposition tomorrow, they are winless in five games since the thrashing of Swindon in the first round of the FA Cup. They have since been hammered by Stevenage and Wycombe whilst their second round FA Cup tie saw them beaten at home by Dover Athletic, so there may be some slight hope for Pompey.
However, all eyes will be on Trevor Carson who performed well for Pompey last season and will want to prove a point to Awford after he opted to sign Paul Jones instead, which was the right decision in the end as Jones has been the one consistent performer all season. It's just a shame he has to put up with such a shambolic defence in front of him.
Hopefully Pompey can get a result but after the last two performances it seems unlikely. Who knows what will happen should this bad form continue over the Christmas "sacking season" period?
Predicted Starting Line-Ups
Cheltenham
GK: Trevor CARSON
RB: Lee VAUGHAN
CB: Matt TAYLOR
CB: Troy BROWN
LB: Craig BRAHAM-BARRETT
RM: Kane FERDINAND
CM: Jay HANKS
CM: Matt RICHARDS
LM: Raffaelle DE VITA
CF: Terry GORNELL
CF: Byron HARRISON
Pompey
GK: Paul JONES
RB: Matt FISH
CB: Paul ROBINSON
CB: Joe DEVERA
LB: Dan BUTLER
RM: Jed WALLACE
CM: Danny HOLLANDS
CM: Marcus BEAN
LM: Lee HOLMES
CF: Ryan TAYLOR
CF: Craig WESTCARR
Last Time: Cheltenham Town 2 Portsmouth 2 (League Two - 07/09/2013)
Patrick Agyemang gave Pompey an early lead but the Robins equalised when Jermaine McGlashan lobbed the ball over the onrushing John Sullivan. Johnny Ertl restored the lead in the second half and it seemed like Pompey would hold on for victory until as McGlashan pounced on a mistake between Sullivan and Danny East for a stoppage time equaliser.
My Prediction
We're away. We'll lose.
Cheltenham Town 2 Portsmouth 0