Portsmouth fans warned: '˜It's important nobody gets too carried away'

Pompey fans can't get '˜too carried away'.

That's the verdict of The News' chief sports writer, Neil Allen, after the Blues climbed to the top of the League One table with victory against Peterborough on Saturday.

A 2-1 win over the then league leaders saw Pompey leapfrog Steve Evans' side and maintain their unbeaten start to the season.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Kenny Jackett's side now boost a record of six wins and two draws from their eight League One games to date '“ form that sees them sit a point above Posh and five clear of third-placed Barnsley.

It's an impressive start that has some fans dreaming of a return to the Championship already.

Speaking in the latest edition of Pompey Talk Allen admitted the Fratton faithful had just cause to be excited.

But he warned there was still a lot of football to be played between now and the end of the season.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said: 'It's encouraging, isn't it, at this very early stage.

'But it's important nobody gets too carried away.

'It's eight games in, it's mid-September, the clocks haven't even changed yet, we've still got sunshine outside, so there's still plenty of time - 38 games left, so a hell of a way to go.

'But what an encouraging sign it is - Pompey top of League One for the first time this season, first time for a while.

'˜It's tremendously encouraging to be unbeaten at this stage and going to the previous league leaders and beating them perhaps more convincingly than the scoreline suggests.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

'Steve Evans showed that managers can be gracious in defeat, which we don't often see from some managers, and he admitted Pompey were the better side. They deserved the win, and although he had a little bit of a dig at the referee, there was no criticism of Pompey and he wished them all the best.

'So fair play to him because Pompey were the better side -  they looked more dangerous, (Craig) MacGilivray barely had anything to do really, they defended very well and got caught pushing up front in stoppage-time, which is when Peterborough got their consolation.

'It was a needlessly nervy end in the end, unfortunately, but Pompey held out deservedly so.

'But there's so much belief now at the moment - on the terraces, among the players, and you genuinely think something could happen this season '“  even though it is a ridiculously early stage at the moment.'

Have you read?

Deadly attacking trio enable Portsmouth to make statement of intent