Pompey 0 Blackpool 2: The Final Verdict

JORDAN CROSS looks back on Saturday's disappointing defeat at the hands of Blackpool and assesses the main talking points...
Pompey boss Kenny Jackett shows his frustration in the Blackpool defeat. Picture: Joe PeplerPompey boss Kenny Jackett shows his frustration in the Blackpool defeat. Picture: Joe Pepler
Pompey boss Kenny Jackett shows his frustration in the Blackpool defeat. Picture: Joe Pepler

APATHY REIGNS

The scenes were virtually unprecedented at Fratton Park.

The mass exodus which began after Clark Robertson’s killer 63rd-minute goal in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Blackpool, and accelerated over the game’s finale, just doesn’t happen at Pompey.

Yet an apathy to what they were witnessing from their side led to huge swathes of the 17,895 crowd departing long before the final whistle.

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Those who remained among the mass of unoccupied blue seats made their feelings known on the final whistle, as boos sounded around PO4.

Kenny Jackett’s frustration focussed on a lack of penetration from his side, as they chased the game against an outfit who’d won two of their previous 16 games in the league.

In truth, though, it was a Pompey performance hugely deficient at both ends of the pitch.

Defensive errors, a failure to work Tangerines keeper Joe Lumley with the chances which came their way and then the inability to build a head of steam across the game’s finale were the hallmarks of a massively disappointing display.

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Kenny Jackett admitted his challenge is not to let the defeat become too damaging to his players.

The task is also to lift supporters who were left despondent after the season’s low ebb on Saturday.

DEFENSIVE ERRORS

The period now spans 10 weeks.

It was the middle of December and struggling Bury were the opposition the last time Pompey kept a clean sheet.

The run now spans 14 games since the last shutout from Kenny Jackett’s side. A worrying statistic.

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If the kind of mistakes evident against Blackpool continue to permeate Pompey’s play, the wait to stop the opposition scoring will continue for a long while yet.

Christian Burgess pointed to the fact Kyle Vassell was retreating from an offside position as a significant factor in Blackpool’s opener.

The argument was the striker had become active when nicking the ball away from the defender, although the rules state he’s no longer offside after Burgess’ initial touch on his chest.

Regardless of that, the safety-first option of planting the ball in the North Stand would have rendered the whole debate redundant.

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Individual errors are one thing, but the manner in which Clark Robertson was given the freedom of the Pompey box to head in the second was concerning.

Connor Ronan’s half clearance allowed the ball to come back in, and the defender was one of a number of white shirts who could’ve applied the final touch.

Those four clean sheets on the bounce at the end of last year now seem a long time ago.

TOOTHLESS AND PROFLIGATE

It’s some going to be both wasteful and lacking in cutting edge in the same performance.

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Pompey managed to achieve that footballing paradox on the way to the weekend’s disappointing defeat.

Out of a game of football low in quality, Kenny Jackett’s side managed to conjure a number of first-half opportunities.

Four of those, of varying degrees of quality, fell the way of Oli Hawkins.

Two balls fizzing across the face of goal from Jamal Lowe couldn’t be directed on target, before a 24th-minute cross-shot finished off target.

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It was the effort the striker dragged wide in the 31st minute which will go down as the biggest miss of the bunch.

After Jamal Lowe’s 61st-minute effort was fired wide from 12 yards penetration was totally absent from Pompey’s play.

The big push to at least ask some late questions of the visitors just never materialised.

That was summed by Dion Donohue’s stoppage-time scuffer being Pompey’s first shot on target.

‘As the game went on it looked like we could’ve played all night and we wouldn’t have scored,’ was Jackett’s honest and accurate assessment of the Blues’ toothless finale.