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Pompey made an early exit
from the FA Cup after losing 2-0 to high-flying League One side Wycombe at
a chilly Adams Park. Brandon Hanlan and former Blues defender Sonny Bradley scored in the first half of a third round contest that was otherwise short on chances. The visitors dominated possession throughout the game, but struggled to convert that into anything meaningful and can now switch their full attention towards Championship survival. John Mousinho made nine changes from the side narrowly beaten at Sunderland in the league the previous weekend. Freddie Potts and Paddy Lane were the only starters on Wearside to retain their position in the line-up. There were full debuts for Rob Atkinson and Abdoulaye Kamara, while Christian Saydee came in to lead the line. Jordan Archer was handed a spot between the sticks, with the team completed by skipper Matt Ritchie, Owen Moxon, Tom McIntyre, Terry Devlin and a fit-again Jordan Williams. Pompey made a bright start in below freezing temperatures and had a great chance to break the deadlock in just the second minute. Lane got free and saw his shot saved by Shamal George, while Saydee’s back-heeled effort was then blocked. The visitors felt sure that an arm had been used to stop the ball, but saw their penalty appeals waved away by referee Tom Reeves. Wycombe’s keeper was soon forced to make an early trudge down the tunnel after picking up an injury and was replaced by Nathan Bishop. The travelling fans were in fine voice and almost given reason to cheer louder when Moxon’s corner caused problems and a Potts shot was blocked. But it was the hosts who broke the deadlock on 17 minutes, as Gideon Kodua cut in from the right before Hanlan collected the ball and drove it into the net. Pompey began to look ragged and soon fell further behind, with Luke Leahy’s free-kick nodded home by Bradley. They tried to fight back and were controlling possession, but struggling to make any inroads in the final third. Potts was attempting to drive forward against his old club and saw one shot blocked and another fly wide. But they might have fallen further behind when Leahy collected Hanlan’s pass and bent the ball narrowly past the post. Half Time: Wycombe 2 Pompey 0 Mousinho made a triple switch at the break, with Nicolas Schmid, Ryley Towler and Andre Dozzell replacing Archer, Atkinson and Potts. The visitors kept plugging away and Lane’s cleanly-struck effort was blocked at the end of a neat passing spell. But although the Blues were still seeing most of the ball, Bishop was not having to get his gloves dirty. The visitors were unhappy just past the hour mark, as Saydee was manhandled by Dan Harvie as he waited for a corner to be delivered. Both players were booked for the incident, with Wycombe’s physical approach overlooked by the official. On a night that will probably fail to live long in the memory, there was at least one special moment for the Blues. Harry Clout – one of three academy players on the bench – was brought on for Lane on 77 minutes to make his senior debut. But despite continuing to control the flow of the game, Wycombe saw out the closing stages with relative ease to book a spot in round four. |
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