Portsmouth

Callum Lang hopes Pompey have found the right formula at Fratton Park to help them move away from the Championship basement.

The 27-year-old marked his first 90 minutes of the season with the equaliser as Portsmouth came from behind to beat Blackburn on Saturday to end a three-game losing streak and move a point above the relegation zone.

He told BBC Radio Solent: "It's been a frustrating time for us, it just relieves a bit of pressure off us.

"We want to make Fratton Park hard to come, like it was last season, our home form is what kept us up so we want to get back to that as soon as possible. It feels like it could be the start.

"When you're down there it's easy to be negative and get frustrated but you just have to focus on the job in hand.

"It's just having confidence in what the gaffer wants us to do. Second half we got the press right which is a big part of our game here, so we'll take 100% confidence from that second half and we know what we can do here as a home side."

Lang said pressing with energy off the ball was the key to the Blues' success and added: "We have to stick with our principles, off the ball making sure we are a really hard team to play through.

"Any time we have won here it's been an aggressive performance and I feel like that's what a Pompey side needs to look like.

"Hopefully it's the start of something in our home form, I have full confidence in the staff and lads around me, we know how it feels to be in this position.

"Hopefully we can keep on dragging as many teams into it as possible."

Tom Chappell
Fan writer

Image source, Shutterstock

On Saturday, Pompey did what we had previously seemed unable to do - get ourselves on the right side of a tight game and win.

It was easily one of the most important wins of the season so far and one of the most important games for John Mousinho professionally in his career. That man and this club pulled it out of the bag at the weekend.

This cannot be another false dawn, Pompey must kick on and make a fist of Championship survival this season.

We started the game much the better side, a decent blast from Terry Devlin and a Josh Murphy cross that only just evaded Callum Lang at the back stick were the best chances of the game.

That all came before Yuki Ohashi was permitted to run a troublingly large portion of the Fratton Park field and score - one of the worst examples of defending I've seen from us for a while.

At that point, the game and the season overall was looking to be heading one way. For the second time in the space of five days, Pompey were in a low quality game between two poor sides and were still losing.

Three balls cleared off the line shortly after the interval galvanised Fratton Park, an unlikely source of energy which that paved the way for a trademark Murphy delivery, with Lang in the perfect spot to fire home.

There is nothing better than the feeling of anticipation at the ground when Pompey get back into a game, look to score the winner and it arrives. Priceless.

Even putting the goal aside, Ibane Bowat was exemplary on Saturday. His Pompey career to date has been anything but straightforward and he was a thoroughly deserving match winner.

His header from a Conor Chaplin corner had a touch of the Conor Shaughnessy about it - rising highest, a big first contact with plenty of power behind it. It just so happened to be from the same route that won us League One that night.

Saturday night was the earliest that the sun will set this calendar year. It will take a lot more than beating Blackburn to ensure the sun doesn't set on Pompey's stint in the Championship by the end of the season.

Find more from Tom at the Fournilwrittenalloverit, external YouTube channel

Joshua Adu-Donkor
BBC Final Score

Image source, Shutterstock

The famous Fratton Park atmosphere can be the key to Portsmouth getting out of trouble this season.

Their 2-1 comeback win over Blackburn was a reminder of the power their home support can have in matches and they must lean into it more moving forward.

Once the home team found its feet in the game, the crowd were electric and loud in helping them end a run of three winless league games.

This match was proof it can be a powerful tool in their quest for safety this campaign.

Andrew Moon
BBC Radio Solent commentator

Image source, Shutterstock

This result somehow changes everything and nothing.

Portsmouth will still need to make shrewd acquisitions in January, while being outside the relegation zone right now is nice but not the most important thing.

They are likely to be battling for their place in the Championship for the rest of the season but anyone departing Fratton Park could see there is real fight in this side and there might be enough quality to survive.

It was a win that came from such unlikely position. One down after an hour against a side with one of the best away records in the division.

At that moment Portsmouth had not scored a goal for more than three-and-a-half games and had not really looked like finding the net.

A brilliant Josh Murphy cross enabled Callum Lang to level. The Fratton Park roar was seriously loud. Then, for once this season a set-piece goal won Pompey a match rather than losing them one.

The noise at the final whistle was one of relief as much as joy. There is no guarantee this season is a success but Pompey have dragged another side into the relegation picture.

The more the merrier down there.

Image source, Opta

A big game at the bottom end of the Championship as Portsmouth host Blackburn Rovers on Saturday (15:00 GMT) with both sides desperate for three points.

Pompey remain in the relegation zone, two points from safety, after they suffered a third defeat in a row at fellow strugglers Swansea on Tuesday.

They'll get another chance to close the gap on those around them when they take on a Blackburn side five points ahead of them in 20th.

Rovers' form has not been the best having not picked up a win in their past six league outings, drawing three on the bounce heading into this.

• Portsmouth are looking to register consecutive league wins against Blackburn for the first time since September 1985.

• Blackburn Rovers have won two of their last seven away league games against Portsmouth (D2 L3).

• Portsmouth have lost three of their last five home league games (W1 D1), only one fewer in their previous 22 combined (W13 D5 L4).

• Blackburn have won five of their last eight away league games (D1 L2), winning three of their last four since losing at Coventry in October.

• Portsmouth's Conor Chaplin has been involved in six goals in his last seven league games against Blackburn (4 goals, 2 assists).

Portsmouth must not panic and think they need to make wholesale changes to improve their Championship form, according to boss John Mousinho.

Pompey have slipped into the relegation zone on the back of a run of seven defeats from their past nine matches, with their 1-0 reverse at Swansea on Tuesday making it three successive losses.

"The gut reaction after losing any game is we have to change something, we've got to come up with another solution," Mousinho told BBC Radio Solent.

"The answer to that is if we'd not conceded that goal [at Swansea] and come away with a 0-0 draw away from home we go into the changing room and say that's a solid platform to build off.

"So we probably don't change too much but look at some of the aspects of the game we need to be better at."

Portsmouth are two points adrift of safety, albeit with a game in hand on Oxford United, who are directly above them, and host Blackburn on Saturday (15:00 GMT) which is part of a run of three games at home in their next four fixtures.

Mousinho is remaining calm and refusing to panic despite their drop down the table.

"That's the key, to not go too over the top and say we need to make those wholesale changes and at times this season we have needed them," he added.

You can hear the full interview with John Mousinho and more Portsmouth content on BBC Sounds.

"It was a pretty grim spectacle but we're at the point of the season where no-one's really too bothered and if Pompey had nicked it at the end it would have been a glorious night - it looked like a game between two pretty poor teams."

BBC Radio Solent's Chris Wise and Portsmouth commentator Andrew Moon discuss a 1-0 Championship defeat by Swansea which leaves them two points adrift of safety in the relegation zone.

Listen to this and more Portsmouth content on BBC Sounds.

Andrew Moon
BBC Radio Solent commentator

Image source, Shutterstock

A new season low and a very worrying night for Portsmouth. They will lose matches in the Championship against slick, impressive opponents but Swansea were poor and Pompey barely laid a glove on them.

There was no issue defending set-pieces. The inexperienced centre-back pairing of Hayden Matthews and Ibane Bowat did fine.

Pompey could not take advantage of a multitude of decent attacking positions and barely created a chance all night.

This is now a squad devoid of confidence. John Mousinho changed things again with Callum Lang playing as a striker. Lang worked incredibly hard but it made little impact.

Fans will look ahead to the January transfer window but Pompey are in danger of being cast adrift by then if they cannot turn things around in the coming weeks. Seven defeats from nine is a grim run.

Portsmouth boss John Mousinho has expressed his frustration at conceding the goal that led to their defeat at Swansea on Tuesday.

The match was closely contested until Swans forward Liam Cullen found the net in the 78th minute to leave Pompey two points adrift in the bottom three in the Championship table.

"The performance was really solid and the effort levels were there, we just switched off for the goal and didn't get the press right," Mousinho told BBC Radio Solent.

"There was nothing in the game but what is frustrating is that we got into some really good areas and just did not put Swansea under enough pressure.

"When we get into good areas we either don't shoot or the ball doesn't come into the area quick enough. With the players we have at the top of the pitch, we definitely have to be better.

"The major frustration for me was the goal. I could have taken coming away from here with a point."

Image source, Getty Images

The FA Cup third round draw was made on Monday evening, with all 24 Championship clubs entering at this stage of the competition.

Ties will take place between Thursday, 8 January and Monday, 12 January.

These are the ties involving Championship clubs:

• Cambridge United v Birmingham City

• Hull City v Blackburn Rovers

• Bristol City v Watford

• Charlton Athletic v Chelsea

• Stoke City v Coventry

• Derby County v Leeds United

• Ipswich Town v Blackpool

• Cheltenham Town v Leicester City

• Fulham v Middlesbrough

• Burnley v Millwall

• Norwich City v Walsall

• MK Dons v Oxford United

• Portsmouth v Arsenal

• Preston North End v Wigan Athletic

• West Ham United v Queens Park Rangers

• Sheffield United v Mansfield Town

• Sheffield Wednesday v Brentford

• Doncaster Rovers v Southampton

• Swansea City v West Bromwich Albion

• Wrexham v Nottingham Forest

You can see the full draw here.

Image source, Opta

Swansea welcome Portsmouth for a crunch clash at the foot of the Championship table on Tuesday (19:45 GMT).

The Swans climbed to 20th courtesy of Saturday's 2-0 win over fellow-strugglers Oxford United, which ended a run of five straight defeats.

They lie three points ahead of third-bottom Pompey, whose game at Charlton was abandoned after a medical emergency in the crowd at The Valley early in the first half.

Pompey go into this game having lost three of their past four games, both overall and on the road.

• Swansea are winless in their past 13 league games against Portsmouth (D8 L5) since a 4-0 home win in December 1960.

• Nine of Portsmouth's 14 away league games against Swansea have been draws (W2 L3), with their victories coming across their last three visits (2-1 in December 1983, 2-1 in November 2010).

• Swansea have lost seven of their past 10 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) Championship games (W2 D1), including four of their five at home in this run (W1).

• Portsmouth have lost eight of their past nine midweek (Tues, Weds, Thurs) away league games (D1), including each of the last seven in a row.

• Josh Murphy both scored and assisted a goal in both of Portsmouth's Championship meetings with Swansea last season (2 goals, 2 assists).

These two sides meet in the Championship (12:30 GMT) for the first time in 25 years with both looking to end poor runs.

Charlton have lost their past four league games while Pompey arrive in South London with back-to-back losses without scoring a goal on either of those outings.

• Charlton have lost just one of their past 11 league games against Portsmouth (W7 D3) and are unbeaten in six since a 3-1 home loss in February 2021.

• Portsmouth have lost just two of their past seven away league games against Charlton (W3 D2), though they've failed to score on either of their past two visits to The Valley.

• Each of the last 20 league meetings between Charlton and Portsmouth have been in either League One (12) or the Premier League (8). This is the first second-tier meeting between the sides since a 1-1 draw at The Valley in April 2000.

• Charlton have lost each of their past four league games, having lost just three of their first 14 this season. The Addicks haven't lost five in a row since February 2022 in League One.

• Portsmouth won 1-0 at Oxford on the opening weekend this season, but are since winless in seven away league games (D3 L4), losing each of the last three in a row.

Tom Chappell
Fan writer

Image source, Shutterstock

Saturday's opening 25 minutes was the worst I've seen from Pompey this season so far.

Until a pause for treatment for Nico Schmid and the opportunity for John Mousinho to rally his troops, we looked lost, slow and completely second best, albeit against a strong and talented Bristol City side.

Those in blue looked almost too determined not to be the one to make the costly error, and the Fratton End was beginning to turn nasty.

Whatever was said did at least improved Pompey in places - which in turn the crowd responded to, but only via a couple of half chances.

There was nothing that happened after those 25 minutes that suggested there was any chance that Mousinho's side would pull off an impressive comeback.

We were well beaten at Bramall Lane in midweek, and both Sheffield Wednesday and Norwich have travelled to Fratton Park and taken all three points. With that in mind, many would find it hard to argue that Pompey are the worst side in the Championship right now.

And what's perhaps most concerning is it doesn't look like this is going to change any time soon.

Without big January investment, Pompey probably won't get out of this.

With a fully fit squad, we probably just about have enough. Sadly, it seems we always have at least one big name player in the treatment room unavailable for selection.

The league is stronger this year, and therefore the method of relying on a Mousinho miracle is riskier than it was last season.

If you were to pick out a period in which Pompey's season would be defined, games against Charlton, Swansea and Blackburn would probably be it.

Find more from Tom at the Fournilwrittenalloverit, external YouTube channel

"Everything went wrong. Pompey were dreadful in that first 25 minutes. Bristol City could have been out of sight and Portsmouth could have had few complaints. They were not enough of a threat going forward.

"It's a recurring theme, we've seen slow starts, I don't know what it is about Fratton Park. Teams have changed when they come here. Five defeats at home is starting to weigh heavy - it's the same as the entirety of last season."

Pompey slipped into the Championship relegation zone after Saturday's 1-0 defeat at home to Bristol City, their fifth loss at Fratton Park in the league already this season.

The News' Jordan Cross joins BBC Radio Solent's Chris Wise and Portsmouth commentator Andrew Moon to discuss whether anyone should be pressing the panic button just yet.

There's reaction to Michael Eisner's video message to fans (20 mins in), a discussion over the injury situation at Fratton Park (26 mins in) and the biggest question of all, is John Mousinho under pressure (30 mins in)?

Listen to this and more Portsmouth content on BBC Sounds.

Portsmouth manager John Mousinho insisted there was no panic after a 1-0 defeat to Bristol City left his side in the bottom three.

He blamed a poor start for Pompey's sixth defeat in their past eight league matches which dropped them into the bottom three.

"The game was defined by the opening 25 minutes where we weren't at the races at all and that's putting it kindly," Mousinho told BBC Radio Solent.

"We fell behind to a side who were much hungrier and looked like they wanted the challenge of coming here and winning the game a bit more.

"The league position is something we are not pleased with but what is more concerning is that first 25 minutes that we put on at home. There is plenty of time left in the season and there is no panic.

"We have plenty of games between now and Christmas but we can't keep going on and saying we have competed and nearly got there. I can take losing games but not in the manner that we produced in the first 25.

"We know we can produce and dominate sides but it has been far too up and down. If things aren't going well for us we can't seem to dig in and do the basics very well. We fall apart and that's a real concern."

Andrew Moon
BBC Radio Solent commentator

Image source, Shutterstock

So Portsmouth finally managed to look rock solid defending set-pieces after weeks of struggle.

Unfortunately the positives don't extend much beyond that and no fan will be celebrating that solidity from corners.

Pompey were dreadful for the opening 25 minutes and a more ruthless side would have had the game won by that point.

They did improve after that and were literally inches away from an equaliser shortly after half-time, but didn't pose enough of a threat on Bristol City's goal.

At times Pompey have been playing without important players this season, but Conor Shaughnessy was the only key man unavailable yesterday.

Performances like this were suppose to disappear when the injury issues eased.

Dropping into the relegation zone is never nice but far more concerning is turning out performances like this. It's now five points from the past nine matches

The table is not as bleak as it was 12 months ago, but once again a major turnaround is needed for Pompey to remain a Championship club.