Pompey Blow It Again

Last updated : 09 February 2014 By Jim Bonner

Portsmouth remain deep in the League Two relegation dogfight after conceding yet another stoppage time goal to drop to valuable points against fellow strugglers Exeter.

The game started well enough as Pompey took an early lead after Jake Jervis poached a goal when he was unmarked in the centre of the Exeter box to receive Ben Chorley's header across goal.

Pompey didn't attack too much after that and were indebted to Trevor Carson for keeping the scores level at half-time despite an early blunder which saw him mis-kick Chorley's backpass only for the ball to hit the side netting.

Firstly, he produced a terrific reflex save down to his left to stop Scot Bennett's header from going from a corner and later on it looked certain that Jimmy Keohane would equalise after the ball at arrived his feet at close range following Liam Sercombe's run but the Pompey goalkeeper somehow managed to swipe the ball away.

The conditions were nowhere near as bad as predicted but they still played their part during the second half with both sides struggling to keep the ball for any long period of time.

Half-chances for the visitors came when Jervis crossed for Ricky Holmes on the left but he could only stab the ball wide whilst Nicky Shorey's goalbound shot from distance was held by Artur Krysiak.

The glaring miss came right near the end of the match when Krysiak's error allowed Ryan Taylor to steal the ball from him. However, rather than go around the keeper and slot into an empty net, he decided to take the shot at an angle and it hit the side netting.

Exeter had chances of their own as the game wore on. Keohane sent a header over the bar whilst Wes Fogden almost scored an own goal when he headed past Carson but he was able to grab the ball when it crossed the line.

The home fans thought they had grabbed an equaliser when David Wheeler scored following a scramble but it was ruled out for offside, although it was difficult to see if that decision was correct from the shallow open terrace at the other end of St. James' Park.

It looked like Pompey would see the game out for a hard earned victory but deep into stoppage time the defence fell asleep and weren't alert to a quick throw in which led to Sercombe firing a deflected equaliser via the underside of the crossbar.

Whilst Pompey fans may have been heartbroken by that goal (or had no reaction as we're so used to it by now) it would be difficult to say that Exeter didn't deserve something from the game, especially if that offside decision shouldn't have stood.

If Richie Barker's team had held on for that win no doubt the fans would be praising him on a job well done much like the Wycombe game. Now, people are questioning his ability to manage this club and the mentality of his team.

Under Guy Whittingham, Pompey would often concede late because of their tendancy to try and kill the game off by scoring another goal. Under Barker, it seems to be the complete opposite situation where his team are happy to sit and defend a single goal lead away from home and those tactics punished him yesterday as Exeter ramped up the pressure late on and the players at his disposal couldn't stop that pressure building.

It is difficult to criticise the players too much as once again they gave everything they had and were comfortable defending for most of the game but the balance of this team hasn't been right all season and they now aren't creating enough chances and not taking the ones they do.

There have been calls for the manager's head after this result but it will take time for him to sort out this mess - time that is running out given how close his team are to the bottom two.

The football hasn't been great but Barker could well sign one or two players to improve the creativity of this side so at least Taylor and Jervis have more chances to score the goals that will get Pompey out of trouble. That, and reminding his team to concentrate and close down opposition players for the entire game is all he can do.

Whatever he does, he needs to do it quickly because with Wimbledon coming up next week and fans' frustrations increasing another defeat could see some serious reprecussions from the supporters who have put up with enough shit over the last five years to last a lifetime.

Those frustrations are already showing signs of boiling over as one fan went to attack Sonny Bradley as he walked off the pitch with others in the stands wondering why the hell they bother turning up to watch this team of strugglers now there are no scapegoats off the field to blame the performances on.

But the big question now is just how costly are all of these late goals conceded during the season going to be come the end of it?

Pompey Player Ratings

Trevor Carson: 7 - Made up for early error with a couple of excellent saves.

Daniel Alfei: 6 - Solid job.

Joe Devera: 6 - Good until injury forced him off.

Ben Chorley: 7 - Another strong showing.

Marcos Painter: 6 - Did OK but didn't get forward too often.

Wes Fogden: 5 - Not as influential as he could have been.

Thery Racon: 7 - Standout player but might have got to Sercombe before he scored.

Nicky Shorey: 6 - Holds things well but offers little going forward.

Ricky Holmes: 6 - Full of running.

Ryan Taylor: 5 - Should have scored.

Jake Jervis: 7 - Scored and was Pompey's most creative player on the pitch.

Substitutes

Phil Smith

Sonny Bradley (Devera 45): 6 - Comfortable but shares blame with Racon for not being alert enough.

Johnny Ertl

Romain Padovani

Jed Wallace

Andy Barcham (Holmes 79): N/A - Had one half-decent shot.

Patrick Agyemang (Jervis 81): N/A - Brought on to no effect.