Well not our favourite side to play against: since our return to L2 in the five meetings we have managed a haul of a measly two points but fair play to Portsmouth, they are really a very decent side.
What a start, we could so easily have been a goal down after a couple of minutes when Portsmouth’s Clark was shamefully left totally unchallenged at the far post and I thought the header was surely in the net but thankfully Sheehan scooped the ball off the line; blimey I said to my partner, where the hell is Cuthbert when you need him. Then a couple of minutes later a super Sheehan cross is turned into the net by Hylton followed by another dramatic acceleration from Vassell that created another one for Hylton but sadly it’s offside. Then Portsmouth equaliser with a long range shot that I thought Walton should maybe have saved but having said that the scorer should really have been closed down by our defenders. So there we are 1-1 and lot’s of end to end stuff; good exciting stuff for the fourth tier of English football. Then just before half time another bit of a mess in the air within the Town’s box when a ball is just not cleared and bang, we are a goal behind. No changes for the second half despite that Cuthbertless struggle in the air; maybe NJ would have made that change if we had been level, who knows. The second period really became one of almost total control for Portsmouth as our midfield were just nullified by the smarter Pompey tactics. Pompey hit the bar with a free header, missed a sitter with a free header and then scored a late goal when Sheehan was a touch caught out. In that second half, we had a couple of chances including a shot from distance cleared off the line but I never thought that one was going to go in. I feel that all Town fans will admit that we were beaten on the night by a better side who apart from that first 10 minute period, were simply first to the ball and mostly swamped our midfield. Just what is it with our midfield? When Lee is closed down we are immediately down to virtually 10 men. On their day and at times Gilliead and Pelly did some nice work but all too often drifted from play as midfield was lost to the visitors. McGeehan, yes whilst I am hugely appreciative of his magnificent goal return from midfield, once again he did not turn in the type of performance that we need. I have quite a bit of time for Cam but goals apart there is surely more to come from him than we have seen since that transfer speculation a few weeks back. Then there is the would be game changer Cook, surely the best-kept secret in league two: just what does he contribute to the team; whatever it is he has to offer, it certainly is not shown in league games. Pompey manager Cook really tactically got the better of NJ in the second half as his midfield often consisted of what seemed like five players with the ability to break wide and severely test that terribly narrow formation that appears to be the only plan in town for the Hatters. This narrow shape works well enough away from home, in fact, I enjoy it away from home when we get more space on the ball than at the Kenny. The term diamond, an allotrope of carbon, of course, applies to that sharp cutting and so solid precious gem. That same element carbon also gives us graphite and it was certainly the soft, smudgy flaky graphite version that appeared in our midfield for the second half of the game. There was really nothing sharp about that midfield formation in the second half of the game when we hardly created a chance on goal. General Summary We lost to a better side but it was an entertaining night particularly the first half in which both side really went for it. We did look so susceptible in the air at the back and maybe Cuthbert would have cooled that one and given us a better chance against a really decent Portsmouth side. At least four times our defence was dreadfully exposed in the air and that could so easily have given Portsmouth a further two or three goals; the centre back combination of Mullins and Rea or indeed anything without Cuthbert is just not strong enough in the air for L2. So there we are, an entertaining evening, especially the first half even if the second half was frustrating from a Hatter's point of view. If we finish in the top seven then please, please Pompey finish in the top three as I don’t want to play against you guys in the play off. Never mind, we are still 5th in the league and ready to go again on Saturday at Exeter. The Sunday Rant on a Wednesday Losing is part of the game, not fun but usually more palatable when against a better side and last night Portsmouth were certainly the better side. However, what is annoying is when we through Nathan’s faithful team selection, reduced our fighting chance right from the start with his team selection. We could see on Saturday that the defence without Cuthbert really struggled against a relatively poor Morecambe side when they hit a few crosses into the box, we got away with that, but Nathan surely knew that Portsmouth would be an entirely stronger proposition in the air: does that ex-centre back Paul Hart offer any advice? Secondly, that ferocious midfield assassin Lee whose yellow card collection rivals the one of Danny Hylton’s has been nullified in so many games this season putting further pressure on our team. As we were playing one of the best teams in the division with some gifted midfield players, just why did NJ think things would be different last night; they were not. He is not a bad player Olly Lee with a good pass and strong shot but simply not the guy for the midfield enforcer role. Before the game myself and most others felt that the obvious selection would be to push Rea forward to holding midfield and have Cuthbert in the centre of defence: horses for courses as the saying goes; we were not, after all, playing Morecambe. So for me, I readily accept that we lost to a very good well-organised side but feel a sense of frustration that the team selection just did not give us our best chance of getting something from the game. A Few Thought on Individual Performances Walton: pulled of one particularly good save diving to his right but could he maybe have got to that shot for the first goal? Justin: tough night for him against a good side and he could have done with a bit more cover in front of him but I thought he did well. Mullins & Rae: both decent on the deck but I feel that together, as seen last night, they are just too short to compete well enough in the air. Sheehan: quite a mixture, some good crosses, gave away a few too many free kicks and partly at fault for the third goal. Lee: not his fault that he is not and will never be an effective holding midfielder; it’s just not in him to do the job that Nathan wants. Pelly: decent first half with tricks on show but needed to probably get a touch wider in the second half. Gilliead: some usual trickery in the first half but nullified by the Portsmouth midfield in the second half. McGeehan: put in a lot of physical effort but lie his midfield colleagues just really did not makea mark on the game in the second half. Vassell: superb turn of speed that did create problems but needs at least some midfield service. Hylton: as ever, what you see is what you get, stacks of determination, skill and effort. The game changers: Cook: I can recall one or maybe two good passes but secret agent Cook was working so deeply undercover that he never made any real impression on the game. Marriott: on for Vassell but like Vassell needs service to really do much. CMS: came on late to do his annoying wasp impression. Luton: Walton, Mullins, McGeehan, Hylton, Gilliead (Cook, 58), Rea, Mpanzu, Lee, Vassell (Marriott, 79), Justin (Mackail-Smith, 86), Sheehan Unused subs: O'Donnell, Smith, Cuthbert, King Portsmouth: Forde, Stevens Rose, Clarke, Burgess, Baker, Doyle, Smith (Hunt, 90), Roberts (Naismith, 74), Bennett (Whatmough, 88), Evans
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Hi there, welcome to my site where I chronicle various things about the Hatters, a team I have followed since the mid 60’sArchives
December 2017
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