Belated thread - where is everyone !!! Final score 0-1. Fair result, but could have been different if the dozy referee /either linesmen/fourth official had noticed the blatant handball by Shaun Whalley in the Fratton End penalty area from a Jamal Lowe cross, which was witnessed by the entire crowd. Gareth Evans in his position of captain remonstrated to the ref who of course promptly booked him. We picked up our game after half time, and Brett Pitman's top-corner-bound header was superbly clawed away by keeper Craig MacGillivray - who again kept the Shrews lead intact when Kal Naismith let fly with a goalbound effort from 25 yards or so. Connor Ronan came on with 20 minutes left and his header set up Pitman for a shot that rattled the bar with six minutes left. Adam May received a second yellow for an over enthusiastic challenge in the 91st minute, so misses the next game. Shame really that the vast majority of the over enthusiastic challenges during the match on Oli Hawkins weren't noticed by the pathetic referee and his fellow officials Today's attendance: 17,779 (498 away fans)
Portsmouth 1 Luke McGee 20 Nathan Thompson 6 Christian Burgess 5 Matt Clarke 17 Dion Donohue 30 Adam May 33 Ben Close 26 Gareth Evans (C) 22 Kal Naismith 18 Jamal Lowe 9 Oli Hawkins Substitutes 8 Brett Pitman 11 Matty Kennedy 14 Connor Ronan 19 Conor Chaplin 23 Kyle Bennett 29 Sylvain Deslandes 35 Alex Bass Shrewsbury 15 MacGillivray 13 Bolton 22 Nsiala 5 Sadler 6 Beckles 8 Ogogo 4 Godfrey 20 Nolan 7 Whalley 9 Morris 23 Rodman Substitutes 3 Lowe 11 Gnahoua 14 John-Lewis 16 Morris 17 Hendrie 30 Rowley 45 Payne Referee: David Coote
I expected them to be a very good side after seeing them on TV in the Cup. They weren't. Their game management was good/annoying - they harried and hassled a lot and slowed it down any time we got any kind of momentum going but really bar the goal they did SFA. We worked hard but created only a few chances. Yes the ref and the lino on the Nth Bank side both had really, really bad games. I thought Kal N had a poor game today - his lay offs and passes in the first half were always underhit, meaning the recipients having to work overly to pick them up or we lost the ball. He played better when Pitman came on briefly. I thought the late free kick should have gone into the box, over 90 minutes a nil nil would have been about right I think. Time to bring in Chaplin - we can't keep pumping it up to Ollie.
You know my opinion Wooperts. That's standard effing refing in the lower leagues. Strangely enough I actually went to Specsavers for an eyetest last week. Promise that is real and I'm not making it up. There was a nice young man who did the prelims and he asked me if my sight had gone down or was much the same. I admited it was a bit less than before or more that I wore my distance glasses more often than I did previously. I then commented on going to Argyle and actually being able to see the numbers on the shirts from distance now which I struggled with previously. That got us talking about Argyle as he was a regular supporter himself. I joked about Refereees needing his services and he told me that the person he goes with is a person who once trained league referees to pass their badges or whatever it is they have to get. He said that this friend often covers his eyes in disbelief at the decisions some of them make and it's getting more and more often. Says a lot doesn't it.
Match day highlights..... https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http...vBpSOlnyuCZowYiANHMrAL88KWqB5rfsr7bp543vXZ6PA
