Portsmouth 0 Shrewsbury 0: Neil Allen's verdict - Unsatisfactory point and tough watch, but thankfully Jack Whatmough gave some Blues cheer

The 24-year-old soared above the game’s humdrum and mediocrity, a gloriously reassuring presence which rightly earned him man-of-the-match recognition.

The phoenix has risen once more – a vision to delight the Fratton faithful from their iFollow vantage point.

Small mercies to be grateful for. Let’s be frank, Pompey’s return to League One action was otherwise a tough watch, with little to become enthused about.

Whatmough himself afterwards offered a cheery outlook, centering on earning an opening-day point when the likes of Peterborough and Oxford United had perished.

Ever an engaging and honest interviewee, it was a valid observation. After all, a goalless draw with Shrewsbury signalled a solid start to the league campaign, hardly a disaster of catastrophic proportions.

Yet in his fourth season and final contracted year at Fratton Park, Kenny Jackett needs to pull off promotion. His ongoing presence depends on it.

The many disillusioned members of the Fratton faithful may harbour low expectations this term, but never has the pressure been greater on the manager to succeed.

Unfortunately, a home draw to Shrewsbury hardly ushers in optimism among the growing number of disenchanted supporters. Quite the opposite.

The doubters require convincing that Jackett can finally deliver a Championship return. Well, Saturday merely deepened the misgivings.

Admittedly, the game presented a late flurry during which either side could have claimed the victory.

Firstly Craig MacGillivray produced a stunning save, while, at the other end, Tom Naylor’s header struck the bar. However, the last-gasp drama shouldn’t be allowed to mask an overall lacklustre affair starved of excitement.

Pompey’s creativity was negligent, their wingers barely consulted, while attempts on goal were almost exclusively restricted to pops from outside the box.

In one harrowing spell during a first-half in which their performance deteriorated alarmingly as the interval approached, the ball was misplaced by the Blues with awful regularity.

Sadly for those fans who had to instead endure Sunderland’s match with Bristol Rovers at the game’s start following an iFollow broadcasting error, they missed the better parts of Pompey’s display.

Granted, it was a point, but wholly unsatisfactory. If supporters had been present at Fratton Park, the players and their manager would have been greeted with an uncomfortable reaction come the final whistle.

That’s not to say Pompey will fail to win promotion this season, an opening league game is hardly conclusive. Only the foolish would predict the outcome of a 46-match campaign on the basis of one 90-minute fixture.

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Let’s not forget that the 2016-17 League Two title-winning season kicked off with a home draw to Carlisle, as pointed out by Whatmough.

Meanwhile, Luton lost 1-0 at Fratton Park for the opener to 2018-19 – and still claimed League One’s crown.

Regardless, there was little evidence on Saturday that this latest pursuit of a Championship place will succeed, which surely must concern the under-fire Jackett.

This transfer window remains pivotal to such promotion aspirations. The recruitment of two new full-backs, of which one was on the bench on Saturday, does not improve last year’s losing play-off semi-finalists sufficiently enough.

More fresh faces are required, albeit a necessity not as straightforward to resolve as in previous windows considering the implementation of the salary cap and squad-size restrictions.

Still, for all the deserved criticism of their Shrewsbury display, Pompey are equipped with the credentials to comfortably finish in the League One play-offs for a third consecutive season.

The issue is, however, that’s no longer good enough for this current regime. The Blues are beyond consolidation and happily ticking over – how Jackett needs a top-two placing.

Meanwhile, while their ongoing pursuit of a new centre-half to strengthen the side continues, Whatmough strode forward to deliver an eye-catching performance to give the management much to contemplate.

Without question, a defensive reinforcement is required, particularly as reigning The News/Sport’s Mail’s Player of the Season Christian Burgess has still to be replaced.

Yet Whatmough remains a class act and, irrespective of the identity of any newcomer, must remain a first-team consideration.

Saturday marked his 100th Pompey appearance – approaching seven years since his introduction to the first-team under Andy Awford.

In fact, it has been three years, four months and 15 days since he celebrated his 50th outing.

Tellingly, injuries have severely impacted upon his Blues’ presence, but the talent is indisputable and, during this latest comeback, reassuringly appears to remain intact.

Whatmough barely put a foot wrong defensively against Shrewsbury, while his penchant for diagonal balls aimed towards the left wing was largely accurate.

On an afternoon when so many team-mates fell short of the required standard to defeat the visitors, the 24-year-old can be hugely proud of his contribution.

He had retained his place ahead of Paul Downing following a midweek recall against Colchester in the EFL Trophy.

There was just one change to that side which overcame the League Two outfit 2-0, with Lee Brown selected ahead of Cam Pring, who dropped to the bench.

Callum Johnson was handed his league debut for the Blues after his arrival from Accrington, while John Marquis was again preferred in attack to the fit-again Ellis Harrison.

Elsewhere, there was no place among the substitutes for Downing, who once more during his south-coast stay now faces a bleak Pompey career after a brief pre-season return.

Pompey suffered a scare on 13 minutes when a corner from the right was met with a header from Brad Walker, which smacked against the left-hand post.

It then ricocheted off Craig MacGillivray, before Ethan Ebanks-Landell lashed the loose ball well wide when he should have done much better.

As the match entered the final 10 minutes, following a Shrewsbury corner from the right, MacGillivray produced a stunning stop from Rekeil Pyke, with Whatmough then heading off the loose ball off the line.

Pyke’s powerful shot appeared destined to hand the visitors a late lead, with the Blues indebted to the Scot for his heroics.

Then, on 89 minutes, Brown’s free-kick from the right was met with a Tom Naylor header against the bar, although the ball was always rising.

An eventful ending to an uneventful start to the League One campaign for Pompey. Performances can only improve.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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