Score predictions - Portsmouth away

Fratton Park next, for the penultimate away game of the regular season. The reds need 2 points to secure a play-off place, whereas Pompey need the same to win the title, though a draw for the blues would guarantee a return to the second tier for the first time in over a decade. Portsmouth are understandably favourites to take the points, though only slight odds on at 5/6. The reds are 7/2 outsiders to cause an upset, confirm a play-off place, and potentially defer the promotion party until at least the weekend for the hosts.


Portsmouth have the best home record in the division, garnering 47 points from their 21 home games. They've won 6 of their last 7, drawing the other with 2nd placed Derby. They've lost just twice at home in the league, though they were soundly beaten in both of those (3-0 vs Orient and 4-0 vs Blackpool). They've not actually kept a clean sheet at home in longer than the Reds on home soil; their last clean sheet at home was in mid December, in their 2-0 win over Bolton. They've kept just 5 clean sheets at home all season (the same as us), suggesting their achilles heel lies in defence.


Our record at Fratton Park isn't great. We haven't won there in our last 8 visits, stretching back to 99, and that is our only win there in 22 visits, going back to 83. Prior to that, we'd only lost 1 of our first 6 visits to Portsmouth. Our last victory there came courtesy of a 3-1 win, and goals from Craig Hignett, Bruce Dyer and an Adrian Whitbread own goal. That was one of only 2 seasons where we recorded the double over Portsmouth. The most notable meeting between the two at Fratton Park is arguably the 4-4 draw in 2002. A struggling reds side equalised late on through Mike Sheron, after a Robert Prosinecki hattrick, and a goal and red card for Linvoy Primus. Chris Barker and a Chris Lumsdon brace completed the scoring, as the reds came from 4-2 down to take a point.



Colby Bishop netted for the 19th and 20th time in the league when Portsmouth last played at Fratton Park, rallying to see of Shrewsbury 3-1. It's the second consecutive season in which the former Accrington marksman has broken the 20 goal barrier, having no previously done so for Stanley. He's the obvious threat, however the Blues also have Paddy Lane and Abu Kamara in attack, who have 19 goals and 16 assists between them. They spearheaded the attack in the 1-1 draw with Bolton at the weekend, with Callum Lang, who has already faced the reds twice this season for Wigan, also there in support. Despite struggling for clean sheets at home, Portsmouth have the joint tightest defence in the league, a feat shared with Lincoln and Derby. They have quite an experienced defence, with 27 year old Connor Shaughnessy being the youngest of the back 4 and goalkeeper. Will Norris, who was heroic between the posts for Peterborough last season, has proven to be an invaluable summer acquisition.


Referee Paul Howard has issued 129 yellows and 4 reds in 34 games this season, averaging just shy of 4 cards a game, which is on the low side. It's his 3rd visit to Fratton Park this season, having overseen Pompey's 2-1 win over Lincoln in September, and their 2-0 win over Bolton in December. He has never taken charge of a Barnsley fixture.


Of course, this is a difficult fixture, made more difficult by Portsmouth's need of another point to secure promotion. Whilst it's a foregone conclusion that Portsmouth will win this division, I don't expect them to take it easy here. I actually saw some improvement from the Reds at the weekend. We weren't great by any stretch of the imagination, but we were much quicker and more purposeful than we have been in recent weeks, and probably unlucky not to come away with all 3 points considering the chances we had in the final 10 vs Reading. Our record down on the south coast is poor, regardless of the opposition, but I honestly think we've been up for the tougher games more than we have the ones you'd expect us to win. I'm going for a 1-1 draw, with Phillips cancelling out Colby Bishop mid-way through the second half.

 

3-0 Pompey. The team that goes all out for the win will handily beat the team that doesn’t.

 

Huge crowd, party atmosphere. Can't see anything but getting our arses handed to us.

4-0 Pompey

 

5/6 . I'm no gambler but that sounds like a license to print money

 

1-1.

 

I'd be happy with less than we handed out to Port Vale tbh. How things have changed since that day.

 

6-1 pompey Adam Phillips with a consolation

 

1-2 to the reds..

 

EXACTLY what I was going to type.

Obviously I neither want nor hope for such a scoreline but cannot see beyond a hammering.

 

Could get really messy but I’ll try to stay optimistic and say 2 nil to pompey

 

It's one of those fixtures I never thought we'd win, like away at Ipswich, Sunderland, QP.Rangers, Sheff Wensdy, and Coventry!!.
Obviously I'm going for a Portsmouth win, and Id be delighted with a draw/point.

 

I think we might be heading for that elusive 176-1

 

2-0 Pompey

 

Hahahaha. We will win 16-0. No seriously it will be 2-1 loss after going ahead early doors.

 

Although I've said I'd be delighted with a draw, I don't mean by throwing away a win at the end of stoppage time (like against Bolton!).

 

4-1 Cole to get one at last.

 

2 - 1 to us

 

Hope I'm wrong but I can't see us getting anything from the game. A comprehensive 3-0 win for Portsmouth