212 days: The incredible record as Fortress Fratton carries Portsmouth towards Championship survival
There’s no doubt about it: Fortress Fratton is the stronghold on which the battle for Championship survival is being won.
And it’s becoming increasingly clear that Saturdays are alright for the Championship fight, when it comes to rivals stepping into the Pompey bearpit.
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The home form is delivering the points return to make the difference in the bid to remain in the second season, that’s for sure.
Saturday’s win over Blackburn makes it just two defeats from the past 14 games at Fratton Park, stretching back to the 3-1 win over Preston on November 9.
That is credited as being a turning point in the season by John Mousinho, with the pressure on for three as his team went into the international break.
But when it comes to home success this season, there’s another clear pattern emerging for Mousinho’s men.
Saturday home games are becoming the time to savour for the supporters, with Pompey unbeaten on that day of the week on their patch since the end of August.
212 days since EFL Championship defeat on Fratton Saturday
That now comprises nine Saturdays, making up six wins and three draws for Mousinho’s side - a run now spanning a mightily impressive 212 days.
With kick-off times having more variety than ever, six of those games kicked off at the traditional 3pm time with the home draw with Oxford last October getting underway at 12.30pm - the same time as the 4-1 romp over Coventry in December.
There was also a delayed kick-off in the win over Middlesbrough in January, as the match start delayed for 35 minutes following the medical emergency which sadly led to the death of Pompey fan Alec Lumb.
When it comes to the final seven games of the season, the Blues have four away fixtures to negotiate with three at home. Two of those matches will take place on a Saturday with Derby arriving in what could be a crucial survival clash on Saturday, April 12 (3pm). Hull then arrive at PO4 on the final day with the Saturday, May 3 clash getting underway at 12.30pm.
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Pompey last suffered a Saturday defeat at Fratton Park against Sunderland on Saturday, August 31 as they went down to a 3-1 reverse.
Of the seven home games away from Saturdays since then, Pompey have picked up four wins (Swansea, Stoke, Cardiff and Leeds) and suffered three reverses (Sheffield Wednesday, Millwall and Plymouth).