Peterborough prove to be too strong for poor Pompey

For Pompey fans, the atmosphere around their club recently has been nothing short of dismal and it seems as though their promotion challenge this season is a foregone conclusion.

From sitting at the top of the league at Christmas, to potentially finding themselves in the bottom half of the table come 5pm on Saturday, it seems as though Portsmouth will be spending more time in League One next season.

The club made the decision on Sunday morning to sack Kenny Jackett after their underwhelming and disappointing loss to Salford City in the Papa John’s Trophy final the day before. Jackett’s departure was almost inevitable; recent performances and discontent among the fanbase meant he had to go sooner rather than later.

Pompey are now facing a huge task to revitalise their season, but there are fears that it could be too little too late for the south coast side.

Last night’s game away at second placed Peterborough was a chance for the players to redeem themselves, with Joe Gallen taking charge on the touchline as the club await the appointment of a new manager.

He opted to play with a back three consisting of Rasmus Nicolaisen, Sean Raggett and Jack Whatmough, with Lee Brown and James Bolton accommodating the wing-back positions. There was no recognised striker in the starting XI, with Ronan Curtis and Ryan Williams providing the threat up front.

With so many defensive players on the pitch, it was no surprise that Pompey chose to sit back and let the hosts dominate the game. There was very little going forward from the visitors either, with Curtis and Williams failing to find any real chances on goal.

Peterborough found the breakthrough just after the half hour mark. An in-swinging corner from Harrison Burrows was heading towards the goal and caused goalkeeper Craig MacGillivray to act fast, only for him to parry the cross onto the back of Nicolaisen and into his own net.

Pompey improved in the second half but were still unable to find an equaliser. It took until the 73rd minute for them to finally have a striker on the pitch as Jordy Hiwula replaced Williams, but it was too late for him to make a real impact in front of goal.

MacGillivray was able to prevent Louis Reed and Mo Eisa from doubling the lead, making up for his mistake that led to the goal earlier on in the game.

The home side were able to see out a comfortable victory and thus inflicted a sixth defeat in eight league games for Portsmouth. The team’s performances and position in the table have been in a steady decline in recent weeks, with time now running out for them to salvage any remaining hope of securing promotion.

Last night’s game, as well as their cup final loss at the weekend, seemed to encapsulate what is going wrong at the club at this time. The players seem to have run out of ideas; they lack any real threat going forward and the defence are still making poor mistakes that ultimately lead to goals.

A fresh face is most certainly needed at the club to help get their season back on track. At the time of writing this, former Lincoln City and Huddersfield Town boss Danny Cowley is the current favourite to succeed Jackett as the Pompey manager.

If he is to be appointed as the new gaffer, his first game at the helm of this sinking ship will be against fellow promotion chasers Ipswich Town at Fratton Park on Saturday. A win against their opponents would give Pompey a huge morale boost and spark a sense of belief back into the team for the remainder of the season.

Failure to achieve promotion once again would be a disappointment for Pompey fans as the club is more than capable of making a return to the Championship, but there is hope that a new manager will encourage the players to push on and do all they can to end the season on a high.

Although time hasn’t completely run out for Portsmouth just yet, a lot of work is still needed to be done this season in order to restore some pride in such a passionate and proud football club.

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