Pompey Stung By Late Bees Double

Last updated : 14 April 2013 By Jim Bonner

A good week for Pompey ended on a sour note after two goals in the space of two minutes late on saw Brentford claim all three points at Griffin Park.

The afternoon had been going great until the 85th minute of the game. Portsmouth fans congregated outside the pubs of each corner of Griffin Park and were in jovial mood after the news this week.

The match itself didn't start well as the hosts dominated early possession as Pompey couldn't keep hold of the ball.

Simon Eastwood had to make a couple of saves but will shoulder most of the blame for the opener as he came out of his goal and punched the ball straight to Bradley "Scummer" Wright-Phillips who fired into an unguarded net and milked the celebrations in front of the visiting fans.

David Connolly had Pompey's first real chance of the match after goalkeeper Simon Moore couldn't hold on to Jed Wallace's strike but Connolly was put off as he went to strike the rebound and the ball sailed over the terrace.

The Irishman made no mistake for the equaliser after he turned on the outside of the box and produced an exquisite finish to level the score before the break. 

Pompey improved in the second half and took the lead when Shaun Cooper did a Cryuff-esque turn before striking the ball from distance into the far bottom corner of the net to send the fans behind the goal berserk.

Toumani Diagouraga almost equalised when he was sent through on goal but his tame shot was straight at Eastwood and Sam Sodje cleared the loose ball.

Apart from that chance Brentford were creating little and were running out of ideas with their long balls doing nothing to unsettle the Portsmouth defence.

That was until the 85th minute when they couldn't clear a corner and Wright-Phillips scored after an almighty scramble in the box.

From the restart, it seemed that Pompey instantly wanted to score again and got caught out as a result. A long ball found Clayton Donaldson who ran through on goal at an angle and lobbed the onrushing Eastwood to complete the turnaround and crush Pompey spirits.

After the final whistle some Pompey fans invaded the pitch following some apparent goading by some of the Brentford players and stewards to end the occasion on a low after what had been a great day until the final five minutes.

It will be interesting to discover what action (if any) gets taken against Portsmouth for the actions of some emotionally charged individuals and indeed if any action is taken against Brentford for the substandard policing of the matter and the attitude of their stewards.

As for the match, Pompey didn't deserve to lose but paid the price for failing to see it out. Had Ricardo Rocha been playing then his calming influence would have likely ensured Pompey would have won the match.

Instead, avoiding a points deduction next season is now extremely unlikely after this loss coupled with Oldham's win over relegated Bury has seen the Latics go five clear of Pompey and they only need to win one of their remaining four games to confirm the inevitable.

There has been talk that the Football League will simply deduct the points this season anyway when Portsmouth comes out of administration to "honour the agreement" but the other Football League clubs are sure to object because Pompey wouldn't have been punished.

Yesterday was a day to forget after a good week. Hopefully next week will bring some more good news so the events at Brentford can be put behind us.

Pompey Player Ratings

Simon Eastwood: 5 - At fault for the first goal and possibly the third too.

Yassin Moutaouakil: 5 - Gave the ball away too often.

Gabor Gyepes: 6 - Went about business quietly.

Sam Sodje: 6 - Some timely interceptions.

Dan Butler: 6 - Solid return to the team.

Jed Wallace: 5 - Rarely in the game.

Johnny Ertl: 6 - Least effective game for a while.

Therry Racon: 6 - Steady showing.

Shaun Cooper: 7 - Top quality goal.

David Connolly: 7 - Great goal and works so hard.

Patrick Agyemang: 6 - Any surprise that Brentford saw more of the ball when he was replaced?

Substitutes

Phil Smith

Adam Webster

Nick Awford

Liam Walker

Jack Maloney (Cooper 88): N/A - No time to make a difference.

Ashley Harris

John Akinde (Agyemang 74): N/A - Did well to win a corner but that's about it.