Portsmouth 4 Cheltenham 0: Neil Allen's verdict - Old guard inspire thrilling display for new era, yet may have no Fratton future

A wonderful opening 45 minutes against shell-shocked Cheltenham drove the Blues’ biggest League One triumph for almost a year amid gathering supporter apathy.

Realistically with the play-offs now surely beyond them, it’s mighty heartening to watch John Mousinho’s men refuse to let the campaign limp along during the final 16 fixtures.

A thumping 4-0 triumph, four different goalscorers – with all four potentially never playing for Pompey again beyond the summer.

Ryan Tunnicliffe, man of the match Michael Jacobs, Ronan Curtis and substitute Louis Thompson registered in a display dripping with class to post an eye-catching scoreline which, if anything, flattered the visitors.

Improbably, leading marksman Colby Bishop missed three one-on-ones, while the crossbar was struck in each half, ensuring the Robins should find a some solace in the fact their Saturday could have been considerably worse.

Make no mistake, this wasn’t high calibre opposition presented in front of the 17,504 crowd, with Wade Elliott’s men looking every inch a team threatened with relegation to League Two following one win in nine matches.

Nonetheless, they were ruthlessly ripped apart by a rampant Pompey in the first half, racing into a 3-0 led after just 26 minutes during an explosive start.

Inevitably Mousinho’s troops can only beat what is presented in front of them, while had they failed to dispatch Cheltenham convincingly, they would rightly earn criticism.

In this instance, it was the finest performance we have witnessed from the Blues this term – and fully warrants the plaudits which accompany such a powerful showing.

Of course, the chief talking point to emerge from Mousinho’s fourth win in eight matches at the Pompey helm centres on the four players at the heart of the Robins’ destruction, all of which are out of contract at the season’s end.

Unquestionably the quartet possess uncertain futures, having either fallen out of favour under predecessor Danny Cowley or endured an injury-hit season to blunt first-team availability.

Cowley never eked out the best of Curtis, with the Irishman a shadow of the player who burst onto the scene, although the player will raise in mitigation that the previous head coach often removed him from his favoured left-wing role.

Curtis has a convincing argument – and on Saturday marked his return to that prized position by netting a first League One goal since August.

Regardless, following five seasons on the south coast, there’s a nagging feeling that perhaps it is time for both parties to shake hands and seek a fresh start on good terms.

Tunnicliffe was excluded from Pompey’s squads for 11 of the opening 12 matches in all competitions before flitting in and out of Cowley’s reckoning, dependant on the extent of emergency.

Now handed seven starts in Mousinho’s eight matches in charge, regular football has sparked growing improvement in the 30-year-old’s contributions, culminating in Saturday’s double of a first assist and goal this season.

Jacobs represents an intriguing case. Arguably the classiest of all the Blues’ attacking options has this term not quite found the irresistible form we know he is capable of.

There was a two-month injury absence earlier in the campaign and, upon his return, strictly bench duty on offer, however Mousinho is now offering the talisman starts.

Finally, there’s Thompson, whose popularity with the Fratton faithful was highlighted by the chanting of his name following a thunderous stoppage-time shot from outside the box which completed the 4-0 scoreline.

It was his first goal in a season which has seen him sidelined for four-and-a-half months following a broken leg collected against Bristol Rovers, nonetheless there is never doubting his ability.

The four are among 13 Pompey players whose contracts expire in the summer, with Connor Ogilvie the other on that list who started the comprehensive triumph over Cheltenham.

According to sporting director Rich Hughes, such decisions are presently on hold, with Mousinho granted time to assess the squad after just four weeks into the job.

It’s a sensible approach, while clearly not all 13 should be retained having contributed towards a side set for a mid-table League One finish in another disappointing campaign in terms of a promotion challenge.

In the meantime, all have the opportunity the convince the head coach they are worthy of a place in his plans – that is if the players themselves want to remain with the Blues.

Still, there were some persuasive arguments on display against Cheltenham, with Curtis and Jacobs making the most of their recalls to the starting XI.

Representing Mousinho’s two changes to the team which collected a goalless draw at Lincoln in the previous weekend, they displaced Paddy Lane and back injury-victim Reeco Hackett.

Meanwhile, Denver Hume returned to the bench having been overlooked at Lincoln, while Tom Lowery, Jay Mingi, Clark Robertson, Zak Swanson and Marlon Pack are out injured.

The tone for Pompey’s emphatic win over the Robins was set after 35 seconds when Colby Bishop pounced on Charlie Raglan’s weak backpass, only to see his shot blocked by a combination of Caleb Taylor and keeper Luke Southwood.

Yet the deadlock was broken on five minutes when Joe Rafferty played the ball into Bishop who, with back to goal, laid it into the path of Tunnicliffe, with the midfielder calmly passing the ball into the net to make it 1-0.

The hosts’ advantage was increased in the 20th minute when Rafferty again fed Bishop, the striker then cleverly playing the ball around the corner with a first-time pass to pick out Jacobs, who finished right-footed from the angle.

Then, on 26 minutes, it was 3-0 after Tunnicliffe broke down the right-hand side and his cross was met with a first-time right-footed finish from Curtis.

Owen Dale struck the bar with a left-footed shot, while in the second half Jacobs was also denied by the woodwork with a rasping right-footed drive.

The scoreline was wrapped up by Thompson in time added-on, having earlier replaced the impressive Tunnicliffe.

Pompey’s old guard had inspired a thrilling display for the new era, yet the truth is they may have no Fratton future.