34 minutes - Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley counts staggering amount of time lost to Fleetwood’s use of dark arts

The trouble is, there would have been little point, seeing as we all know where they went!

Indeed, they were magically eaten away as Stephen Crainey’s side attempted to protect their two-goal half-time lead after the break through time-wasting.

Dark arts were deployed as soon as they returned to the Fratton Park pitch after the interval.

Of course, such underhand tactics failed to secure them a much-needed victory as Fleetwood continue to be embroiled in a relegation battle.

Aiden O’Brien’s strike five minutes into injury-time sealed the Blues a hard-earned point after Marcus Harness deflected home Ronan Curtis’ cross from a corner-kick on 80 minutes to reduce the deficit.

In fairness, Cowley admitted he couldn’t blame opposite number Crainey for sanctioning such behaviour, with the Cod Army just two points above the drop zone – albeit with games in hand on those around them.

Yet he was still baffled by the lack of in-game play the second half produced as his side attempted to put the wrongs of the opening period behind them.

Speaking after an additional eight minutes were added to the clock by referee Alan Young at the end of the game, the Pompey boss said: ‘We were playing against an opponent who was doing all they can to slow the game down and we just looked at it there.

‘The in-play time - so the ball in play in the second half - was 19 minutes in a game where the second half was actually 53 minutes long.

‘That's just incredible, but I don't blame Fleetwood for that, by the way.

‘That's out own fault because if you concede three goals like we did and give goals to the opponent then the opponent has every right to do what they can to slow and stop the game.’