Impressive home victories could hold the key to Pompey’s Championship survival.
Three points and a brace from Gosport-born Matt Ritchie sank a sixth-placed Middlesbrough described by John Mousinho as one of the best in the League.
Michael Carrick’s side hadn’t tasted defeat since Boro’s 3-1 defeat to Leeds United at Elland Road on December 10. The Blues regained the momentum after being sucker-punched in the first half, and took their chances against a limp Middlesbrough side that let the game pass them by.
Pompey then followed that up with a crucial midweek 3-1 win against Stoke City to jump above them into 18th in the table.
22 of Pompey’s points out of 29 total this season were at home.
Fratton Park has turned into somewhat of a fortress of late. Pompey have won six out of the last seven home matches. After a poor performance against play-off chasing Sheffield Wednesday, resulting in a 2-1 defeat, the Blues produced a brilliant performance against Preston North End – coming from behind to win 3-1.
A comfortable 3-0 victory against Bristol City followed, before extending this with a 0-0 draw against Norwich City. Callum Lang’s heroic four goal performance against Coventry City is one of the most memorable moments of the season so far. Goals continued to flow with the New Year’s Day 4-0 victory against Swansea City to the delight of the home crowd. on New Year’s Day.
Over the last six home games, Pompey sit joint top of the form table with Leeds United. Both sides are averaging 2.67 points per game. With relegation rivals such as Plymouth, Hull, Stoke, Cardiff and Derby all struggling to find points at home, Fratton Park could be the difference between survival or relegation.
Regardless of form, league position, and recent performances, the Fratton Faithful continue to show up in large and vocal numbers. Despite spending much of the season in the bottom three, Pompey are currently set to record their highest average home attendance since 1992/93.
Passionate supporters have garnered the attention of other Championship managers and are turning the stadium into a bear pit for opposition players. With each Fratton Park appearance, Pompey starts every match with a twelfth man advantage.
There is also a unique advantage which sets our stadium apart from rival grounds. Fratton Park has one of the smallest pitches in the Championship – only QPR, Millwall, Luton and Oxford have a smaller pitch area.
With the field being just 67 metres wide, the fourth narrowest in the league, opposition sides have been penned in thanks to the high-pressing.
Along with the passionate crowd, this creates an intimidating venue for opposition players. Here’s hoping it’s enough for John Mousinho’s side to stay up.
PompeyNewsNow 
The pitch size is a surprise and differs wherever you look. Pompey’s site says it is 100m x 65m, but a stadium guide puts it as 105m x 66m. What is the definitive figure? Has anyone measured it recently???
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