Nine key factors which prevented Portsmouth from making League One play-offs and challenging Wigan, Sunderland, Rotherham, MK Dons and Plymouth for promotion

Pompey were finally condemned to another season in League One following Jonah Ayunga’s last-gasp equaliser for Morecambe at the Mazuma Stadium on Monday.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The results of Sunderland, Wycombe and Plymouth’s fixtures, along with the ex-Hawks man’s controversial late goal, made it mathematically impossible for the Blues to reach the play-offs this term with three games still to be played.

Now the inquest has begun to find out why the Blues fell short of a top-six finish – as they gear up for a sixth consecutive term in the third tier.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Here’s the factors we believed played a part in that disappointment...

Summer of change

Shortly after penning a long-term deal at Fratton Park, the size of the rebuild Danny Cowley had on his hands was clear.

A number of high-profile players were set to depart as contracts reached their expiration dates, prompting him to embark on an intense scouting mission to find suitable replacements.

As a result, 15 new faces arrived at the club with the task of filling the void left by the likes of Craig MacGillivray, Tom Naylor, Jack Whatmough & Co.

Danny Cowley is nearing the end of his first full-season at Pompey.   Picture: Daniel Chesterton/phcimages.comDanny Cowley is nearing the end of his first full-season at Pompey.   Picture: Daniel Chesterton/phcimages.com
Danny Cowley is nearing the end of his first full-season at Pompey. Picture: Daniel Chesterton/phcimages.com
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Although Cowley secured a number of his top targets, he also missed out on influential figures to League One rivals – like Jayden Stockley.

That forced him to head back to the drawing board to ensure his squad wasn’t light for the gruelling 46 league games ahead.

A new striker was one of those high on his wish list, despite George Hirst’s arrival.

However, a more impactful front man failed to arrive as Pompey weren’t able to find a suitor for Ellis Harrison on deadline day.

Underwhelming loanees

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Amid the mass player overhaul, Pompey opted to fill their five loan spots with Gavin Bazunu, Mahlon Romeo, George Hirst, Gassan Ahadme and Miguel Azeez.

However, the latter pair failed to make the sort of impact many had hoped for over the first half of the season and before their recalls in January.

Norwich youngster Ahadme couldn’t match the bloated expectations on him following an impressive pre-season, while Azeez struggled to adapt to his first taste of full-time senior football away from Arsenal.

Between them, they made only 11 league appearances, which limited the Blues’ strength in depth.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

They also filled crucial space in the Pompey ranks which could’ve been utilised better.

Covid chaos at Christmas

Following Pompey’s humiliation at the hands of Ipswich in October, they embarked on an impressive nine-game unbeaten league run, which transformed them into unlikely play-off contenders.

However, they were soon stopped in their tracks, as matches against AFC Wimbledon and Oxford United were postponed due to Covid.

A 23-day wait between their December success over Morecambe and their stalemate with Cambridge in the new year followed – sparking a six-game winless run which dented their top-six aspirations.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

With just one point secured from a possible 18, it was the second time this season they had suffered such a disappointing run of results.

As much as we would like to, who could forget the seven-game run without success across August and September?

Another costly period in Pompey’s season!

Tyler Walker

As the Blues looked to re-build in the January transfer window to enhance their promotion credentials, they turned the Championship to resurrect a misfiring forward line.

Coventry’s Tyler Walker was identified as the man to turn their fortunes around in that critical area of the pitch, with a large chunk of their budget going into that particular loan signing.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But since his arrival the 25-year-old has stuttered in front of goal, netting once in 15 appearances.

And following his display in the defeat to Cheltenham, he’s unlikely to receive many more minutes before he returns to the Ricoh Arena.

Overall, though, Pompey’s business in January should be looked at favourably, with Hayden Carter and Aiden O’Brien establishing themselves as Fratton favourites.

Yet their decision to bring in Walker has spectacularly backfired, especially as their budget didn’t stretch to allow more acquisitions.

Back-to-back refereeing sucker punches

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

As Pompey attempted to turn the tide after their enforced Christmas break, they were dealt further blows in successive games against Charlton and Oxford – this time by match-day officials.

In the defeat to the Addicks, the linesman missed an obvious offside in the build-up to Conor Washington’s Fratton Park opener.

And the misery was compounded five days later, when Joe Morrell was controversially sent off in a 3-2 defeat to the U’s.

The consecutive defeats extended their winless run to six matches – and plunged them deeper into mid-table obscurity.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Cowley has often bemoaned the standard of officiating this term, with his latest grievance coming on Monday when he was enraged by Morecambe’s equaliser.

The ex-Lincoln boss strongly believed Gavin Bazunu was fouled before Ayunga tapped home – and made sure referee Bobby Madley was aware of his feelings afterwards.

Enforced absences

Operating with a relatively small squad, injuries always had the potential to derail the Blues’ campaign.

And this came to fruition when key figures were forced onto the sidelines for long periods.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Clark Robertson and Connor Ogilvie’s long-term injuries at the beginning of the campaign prompted Cowley to implement a back three prematurely – with unconventional centre-backs Kieron Freeman and Shaun Williams operating either side of Sean Raggett.

But the defensive pair weren’t alone in the treatment room, as Joe Morrell, Michael Jacobs, Reeco Hackett, Ryan Tunnicliffe, Freeman and Denver Hume have all found their way there, too, over the course of the season.

Meanwhile, young summer signings Jayden Reid and Liam Vincent are no strangers to the treatment table either, unfortunately.

To make matters worse, Pompey have seen their fair share of suspensions as well.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Ronan Curtis has been slapped with two separate bans for his yellow card accumulation, while Marcus Harness was unavailable for three matches after he was sent off against Accrington last month.

High levels of inconsistency

Pompey’s lack of consistency in a variety of areas has also prevented them from competing with clubs at the top end of the table.

Indeed, team performances and individual displays have often failed to maintain high standards – which has ultimately impacted results.

Home draws to Cheltenham and Fleetwood amid unbeaten runs have held the Blues back from launching themselves at the top-six – as a continuous gap has always been present.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

After impressing at the start of his tenure, Morrell went off the boil following a bad case of Covid, while Harness’ inconsistencies of the past have now caught up with him again despite a prolific start to the term.

Ronan Curtis inability to get going this season on a regular basis has also proven costly, as has Michael Jacobs consistent battles with injury.

International breaks

With the Fratton Park outfit hosting a number of international players, they have often had two-week breaks while players have jetted off across the globe.

Their results have been impacted by this, as they’ve lost two and drawn one of their three matches when returning from these often 14-day absences.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

And when they did play when key figures were away, they beat Wycombe away from home – which has some fans believing they should have played Bolton when originally scheduled, rather than enduring a 17-day break before their eventual trip to the University of Bolton Stadium.

A game that finished 1-1 and started another indifferent run of results.

Record against the top-10

Finally, Pompey’s record against those teams with promotion ambitions has underwhelmed.

In 16 matches against sides currently in the top 10, Pompey have gained 19 points out of a possible 48, which includes only five wins.

This will certainly need to be rectified if they’re to become Championship challengers next season.