Portsmouth 3-1 U's: Sinking Slowly

An evening by the seaside against the league leaders ends in back-to-back defeats for United

Photo courtesy of Cambridge United FC

It’s not so much the expectation. It’s the hope. Even when your logic and reason fails you, hope is always there. None more so than when you travel to the fairly rampant league leaders having just suffered a bruising defeat at home to relegation rival. You just always have that little thing in the back of your mind… what if? Because if not, why would you do all this?

There was, clearly, no such dream realised on Tuesday night. Despite starting very brightly and eventually taking the lead, it was a few costly mistakes under a barrage of pressure that gave the game back to Portsmouth and leaves the U’s in 17th now only four points off the drop - in amongst a very congested relegation battle.

The frustration from Tuesday night at Fratton Park was not simply the fact of losing. There is no shame in losing to this seemingly very efficient, and very ruthless, Pompey side - one that might even break their own reputation and finally not mess up a chance at promotion (although, as their own supporters would be the first to say, it is only February).

The frustration was doing a lot of the hard things well, and a lot of the simple things badly.

As mentioned, the U’s started the first half the better side. In fact, you could go as far as to say that we stayed the better side for almost all of the opening 45. Leading up to Danny Andrew’s header that put United in front, Pompey controlled the ball, sure, as you might expect - but it was the U’s on the break that were doing better at creating openings and finding space out wide. There were a few moments where slightly quicker decision making or just a bit of good fortune might have ended up telling a different tale for the whole game. Eventually, United did get what they deserved - Danny Andrew’s header from a corner creeping over the line. The provider turned scorer, and he’d deserved it after not only a very solid first half, but capping off a really good run of games.

Taking the lead at Fratton Park was potentially the worst thing we could have done. Anyone remember what happened there last year? This was similar, if maybe not quite as brutal.

Almost instantly, as we were still recovering from our celebration, the ball was in our box. For the remainder of the first half it felt like a bit of an onslaught, just begging to hold out until half time. It’s fair to say, we’d poked the bear.

Eventually, it was one dangerous entry to the box too far as what looks like a combination of Morrison and Ryan Bennett gave away a penalty, and Pompey drew level. Just six minutes after going behind.

It was always going to be a tough grind in the second half. And it really came down to two moments and two mistakes: the first, Cousins doesn’t cover himself in glory for a second week running when, having intercepted to break a move up, he gives it instantly straight back to the Pompey left-back to have another go at his pass. About 20 seconds and a nice little interchange on the edge of the box later, and the ball is in the back of the net. Small, but simple things - you have to be near perfect when defending these leads at these grounds, and that was from it.

The second mistake is harsher as the U’s were looking to be a bit more offensive when we get a sniff of a break, but Sullay Kaikai is second best to a ball he could maybe have contested more strongly, which finds Abu Kamara in acres on the wing. Regardless of that, Stevens won’t be particularly proud of that one beating him directly above him. Small mistakes not howlers, maybe, but big consequences.

And this is where we find ourselves: a defeat we probably all expected, a decent performance to take out of it, but no points again. The mood after Shrewsbury feels a long time ago now, and Saturday against Carlisle has become a much bigger game than it should’ve been given the position we were in a few weeks ago. There is a lot still going for the U’s, but the worry of how that table is going to look when March rolls around is a very, very valid one.

Soundtrack of the Match: Tom Waits - Long Way Home