I’ve been at four last-day relegation escapes (Huddersfield, Bradford and Wigan away*, as well as Barnsley at home) and my head says I really hope Pompey don’t end up in that position again this season.
But what occasions they all were! I was on the pitch in all those away games and if Portsmouth were to avoid relegation on the last day of the season against Hull, I’ll probably be on the pitch again. Oh, wait…maybe not.
I’m not sure anyone asked on March 10th would have predicted Pompey would lose four of the next six games, but we were all still basking in the glow then.
When safety was secured at home to Barnsley on the last day of the season in 2001 with a 3-0 win, Portsmouth hadn’t won a match since 10th March. I remember arriving at Fratton Park that day feeling completely pessimistic but also with that eternal hope that never quite leaves you.
Four days earlier, I’d witnessed a 4-2 loss at Fratton Park against Crystal Palace, Carl Tiler and Lee Mills the scorers! Football eh?!
Five years earlier, I’d been similarly pessimistic on arrival at Huddersfield’s McAlpine Stadium (as it was known then) on the last day of the 1995/96 season.
I vaguely remember the feeling that the team were playing really poorly and I couldn’t see where a result would come from, but Deon Burton scored right in front of me to secure the 1-0 win.
The most enjoyable last-day escape of all was at Bradford in 1998. This time I felt optimistic and a 3-1 win (with goals from Sammy Igoe and John ‘ooh Johnny Lager’ Durnin) saw us celebrating on the pitch with Alan Ball and the players looking on from the corner of the ground.
Wigan away in 2006* was another result which matched the pre-match optimistic feeling, probably due to the amazing run of results Pompey had put together right at the end of the season from a seemingly hopeless position. Goals from Matt Taylor and Benjani (his first for Pompey) saw safety confirmed, culminating in another pitch invasion.
Back to the present day. Overall, I still feel positive about Pompey’s chances. The team played well at Preston, Millwall and Coventry but shot themselves in the foot each time.
To my mind, the most worrying example was at Millwall where Pompey’s lack of steel and concentration was exposed. At Coventry, the team weren’t winning defensive headers in the box but generally played well apart from that inexplicable mix-up in the final seconds.
On the other hand, the habitual defensive errors were again evident against Derby, but I feel that between now and the end of the season, Rob Atkinson and/or Conor Shaughnessy will add the necessary defensive solidity to get Pompey over the line.
These last-day escapes and the way things have panned out this season since Leeds obviously shows how quickly and unpredictably things can change.
You never can tell. Pompey just have to take care of their own business between now and the last day.
It’s arguable three points would be enough, but if Portsmouth arrive at the final day needing something, final day-escapes have been some of the most memorable occasions and form doesn’t always dictate the outcome. Just don’t go on the pitch at the final whistle!
*Penultimate day escape! Good job because Pompey played Liverpool on the final day, and lost!
Photo: Martyn White Sports Images
PompeyNewsNow 