Portsmouth Football Club News

It felt like last year in the FA Cup all over again. The courageous defending, the clean sheet, the luck – and the victory. Pompey’s 2-0 win at Bristol City could have been plucked from their surge to Wembley in 2008. The FA Cup seems to do something special to Pompey. At Ashton Gate they produced arguably their best performance since the 2-2 draw against AC Milan nearly two months ago. Glen Johnson returned from five weeks out injured to bolster a defence that limited Bristol City to just a handful of chances. Sol Campbell and Sylvain Distin were in the kind of resolute form that was one of the pillars of Pompey’s FA Cup triumph last season. And when Bristol City did get the better of Pompey’s back four, they still couldn’t get the better of David James. The Blues have now gone an astonishing 625 minutes since last conceding a goal in the FA Cup, against Plymouth last January. At Ashton Gate there was a stunning save low down to his right by James to deny Marvin Elliott in the first-half. And in the 90th minute he dived to his right to keep out Nicky Maynard’s penalty. In another echo of the 2008 cup run, the save was almost identical to the one he kept out at Preston in the fifth round. Build from the back is Tony Adams' new mantra at Pompey – which makes sense for a former Arsenal and England centre-half. But on top of that, the Blues attacked with pace and purpose against their Championship hosts. Both goals were the result of lightning counter-attacks and the product of Adams’ decision to inject his side with width and pace. The Blues’ opener on 38 minutes began with Nadir Belhadj’s tackle and crossfield pass which picked out the charge of Armand Traore down the right. Traore, who started on the left but was on the other flank following a City corner, beat his man and squared for Peter Crouch to notch his 13th goal of the season. The Blues’ clincher, two minutes from time, was courtesy of another Belhadj break as he poured down the right before cutting the ball back for Niko Kranjcar to score. That goal, Kranjcar’s second of the season, justified his starting place in a role behind lone striker Crouch. Talking of Crouch, there was also the luck that accompanied Pompey right through to Wembley last season. The striker appeared to accidentally handball on the edge of the Blues box in the move that led to his opening goal. But Pompey have hardly had things go their way lately. And none of the 1,300 Blues fans in the away end were complaining as they celebrated a first win in six weeks and looked forward to a fourth round tie with Swansea City back at Fratton Park on January 24.

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