|
Colby Bishop came off the
bench to secure Pompey’s first Fratton victory of the season, as Preston
were beaten 3-1. The striker – making his first appearance since undergoing summer heart surgery – scored from the spot to settle any nerves. First half goals from Josh Murphy and Connor Ogilvie had put the Blues in a comfortable position, only for Emil Riis to hit back for the visitors shortly after the break. Bishop’s appearance among the substitutes had caught many by surprise and it was only fitting that he had the final say. John Mousinho made a couple of changes from the side unfortunate to be beaten at Plymouth earlier in the week. Skipper Marlon Pack came in as a centre-back and Terry Devlin also returned, as Tom McIntyre and Jordan Williams made way. Pompey academy graduate Jack Whatmough started for the visitors, while former loan keeper David Cornell was among their substitutes. There was an impeccably observed Remembrance ceremony before kick-off, with everyone inside the ground coming together to pay their respects to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service of their country. When the action started, the hosts immediately looked to get on the front foot and their intensity was troubling Preston. That was not translating into chances, however, as the Blues struggled to turn their dominance into anything that would test Freddie Woodman between the sticks. A breakthrough almost arrived on 17 minutes, although the keeper did well to keep out Pack’s firm header from a Freddie Potts corner. In fact, if there was one criticism of the display, it was that Pompey were not making the most of a number of set-pieces. Andre Dozzell was a particularly lively presence in the middle of the pitch, with one surging run ending with Potts firing over. The hosts did get their act together from corners late in the half – scoring twice from them to take a commanding lead into the break. Woodman punched a Matt Ritchie delivery straight to MURPHY, who brought the ball under control before arrowing it into the bottom corner from 30 yards out. Dozzell went close to doubling their lead with a shot that bounced down into the turf and flew inches past the post. But a second goal did arrive on 45 minutes after Preston made a mess of dealing with another Potts corner. The ball landed at the feet of OGILVIE, who kept his composure to sweep it into the net from a few yards out. Half Time: Pompey 2 Preston 0 The Fratton faithful were hoping to see their side pick up from where they left off immediately after the restart. But instead they found their lead halved on 50 minutes, with the hosts not dealing with Ryan Ledson’s clever ball into the box and Riis slotting past Nicolas Schmid. Conceding that goal definitely seemed to rattle the Blues and they took a little while to regain their composure. The hosts were soon back on the attack, though, and Woodman was called into action when Ritchie rose to meet a Murphy delivery. They then survived a scare at the other end, as Whatmough’s header hit Kusini Yengi and Schmid did well to stop the ball ricocheting into the net. Mousinho made his first change on 70 minutes, with the impressive Ritchie making way for Christian Saydee. And there was a roar almost as loud as the ones that greeted Pompey’s goals soon after, as Bishop entered the fray for the first time this season. Owen Moxon also climbed off the bench at the same time, with Potts and Yengi the men to be replaced. Both sides were looking more than capable of adding to the scoring as the game entered its closing stages. A fit-again Paddy Lane came on for Murphy for the final few minutes, as the Fratton faithful tried to roar their side over the line. And they had a chance to wrap up the win when Lang burst into the and box and was crudely bundled over by Andrew Hughes. There were no surprises to see who stepped up to take the penalty, with BISHOP sending Woodman the wrong way to ensure a fairytale return. |
||