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The finishing line is almost in sight and Pompey are trying to scramble themselves to safety before the games run out. John Mousinho's men make the trip to Norwich on Friday (3pm kick-off) for the first of an Easter double header, while Watford visit the south coast on Monday. And following last week's dramatic draw with Derby at Fratton Park, the gap to the bottom three now stands at four points – with the same number of games remaining. There is no such pressure on the shoulders of their next opponents, who sit comortably in mid-table with seemingly nothing but pride left to play for. A run of just two wins since the start of February has seen Johannes Hoff Thorup's side fall out of the play-off picture. Their last outing was a 2-1 televised defeat at promtion-chasing Burnley last Friday evening, with Jack Stacey gabbing their consolation. In Borja Sainz, however, the Canaries possess the division's most lethal marksman, with the forward having struck 17 times in the league so far – three more than teammate Josh Sargent. And only table-topping Leeds have managed more than the 63 goals plundered by the Norfolk outfit this term. Despite that impressive tally, it was a 0-0 draw when the two sides met at Fratton Park in the middle of December, with Connor Ogilvie's effort for the hosts harshly ruled out. Andre Green grabbed a late FA Cup winner in the most recent clash at Carrow Road in January 2019, while the last Championship contest there nine years earlier also ended in a Blues victory, courtesy of goals from Dave Kitson and Greg Halford. TEAM NEWS Ibane Bowat (knee), Jacob Farrell (knee), Paddy Lane (knee), Callum Lang (hamstring), Hayden Matthews (ankle), Alexander Milošević (calf), Conor Shaughnessy (hamstring) and Zak Swanson (heel) are all currently sidelined. Rob Atkinson made his return from a calf problem against Derby, but is unlikely to be able to feature in both matches across the Easter weekend. Norwich are without Ben Chrisene (ankle), Lewis Dobbin (calf), Gabriel Forsyth (knee) and Lucien Mahovo (quad), while there are doubts over the fitness of Liam Gibbs (hamstring) and Matej Jurasek (thight). VIEW FROM THE DRESSING ROOM Read the thoughts of John Mousinho and Marlon Pack ahead of the big game. HEAD TO HEAD Overall Pompey: 21 wins Norwich: 24 win 16 draws On the Road Pompey: 8 wins Norwich: 14 wins 9 draws Last Away Meeting Norwich 0 Pompey 1 (Green) FA Cup R3 January 5 2019 TICKETS Pompey have sold their full allocation of tickets and none will be on sale to away fans on the day of the game. Click here for a guide to visiting Carrow Road that has been produced by the home club. OFFICIALS Referee: Thomas Kirk Assistants: Daniel Leach and Ian Cooper Fourth Official: Alan Young This will be the first time that Kirk has taken charge of a Pompey game, although he has previously acted as a fourth official. He has taken charge of 30 games so far this season, booking a total of 151 players and sending three for an early bath. MATCH COVERAGE Supporters in the UK can watch the game live via the Sky Sports+ app. Those based overseas can see all the action on Pompey+, either through a monthly/annual subscription or by purchasing a match pass. The matchday show is live before the game for Pompey+ subscribers and overseas fans with a video subscription/match pass. George Wedlake will be joined by Lee Brown and Paul Hardyman in the Fratton Park studio. Fans can get involved by sending messages and voicenotes to our Pompey+ WhatsApp channel* on +44 7457 413694 or via this link. Please note that the half-time and post-match shows are only available to watch for fans in regions where the game is being shown live on Pompey+. Audio commentary from Andrew Moon and Guy Whittingham is available for Pompey+ subscribers or those who purchase an audio subscription/match pass. Click here for more details about using Pompey+, including the answers to some frequently asked questions. Locally-based fans who are not going to the game can listen, as always, via BBC Radio Solent or Express FM (not available online). *Please note that the WhatsApp service is only for sending messages to appear on the matchday show. The club will not be able to reply to any messages.
Off to the mainland for a short break later this morning, so not around for kick off. Please do come on here and add your thoughts or comments, and hopefully I can get online sometime in the second half! PUP.
Where the hell has this performance come from (I hope I'm not counting my chickens too early) 5-2 up with 20 minutes to go
I've just arrived at our rented house in Lymington, switched on Radio Solent, and also cannot believe the score line!! 2-5 ahead, and it would appear, playing some lovely football. Goals from Colby Bishop with his first Pompey hat trick (15 minutes/ 45+4 minute penalty/51 minutes), Matt Ritchie (38 minutes); Regan Poole (71 minutes) with his first goal of the season.
Pompey triple sub: Zak Swanson, Terry Devlin and Marlon Pack replace Rob Atkinson, Matt Ritchie and Isaac Hayden. 85 minutes.
All we need now is for Sheffield Utd and Leeds Utd to beat Cardiff City & Oxford Utd respectively (as one would expect) to round off a perfect day
Final whistle, and it's a superb 3-5 away win away to big scorers Norwich. Three points is virtually enough to avoid the dreaded relegation to Division One. Magnificent hat trick from striker Colby Bishop. 18th in the table now.
Dare I say we're safe now. Not mathematically, but Hull & Derby have to play each other. Cardiff & Oxford have to play each other. So that's at least two sides below us that will drop points. Hopefully the calculators will not have to come out by the time Hull visit Fratton Park
Final Match Stats:- Overall possession Norwich City 60.4%Portsmouth 39.6% Shots Norwich City 11Portsmouth 22 Shots on target Norwich City 6Portsmouth 10 Total touches inside the box Norwich City 25Portsmouth 27 Goalkeeper saves Norwich City 5Portsmouth 4 Fouls Norwich City 12Portsmouth 11 Corners Norwich City 6Portsmouth 5
