It was dark and miserable as we gathered pre-dawn at the Unibol stadium, ready to add another 550 miles to our already long League One itinerary. The journey was made even longer due to accidents and road works but thankfully we arrived in time to enjoy the StaggerSaurus IPA in the Staggeringly Good micro-brewery near Fratton Park. The Pompey fans were as doubtful of their chances as we were as both teams had gone five matches without a win. We wished each other good luck, starting after this match.
Ian Evatt had to shuffle his pack once more, bringing back Nathan Delfouneso and Will Aimson and was unable to name a forward on the bench. We had the better of the first half, twice hitting the woodwork and having a decent shout for a penalty when Aimson was manhandled in the box. However, Portsmouth survived and caught us early in the second half with a fluky back heel. The goal lifted Pompey and floored us for most of the second half until we mounted a late rally in the last 10 minutes and Eoin Doyle was unlucky to hit the bar with a header. In the end, it was no goals and nil points.
There is no doubt that we are struggling at the moment as we go through a bad patch. Injuries, suspensions, and desertion are testing our squad to the limit. Ian Evatt brought in Amadou Bakayoko and Xavier Amaechi to bolster our front line and we have hardly seen much of them because of injury. Fans were grumbling when defenders were brought on as substitutes, but we did not have any choice as all the forwards we have were already on the pitch. Times are tough right now, but this is when the manager has to earn his corn. He must boost morale and confidence. He must find ways to get us scoring again as when we have scored, we have always got something out of the match. Senior players can help the younger players with their experience of going through tough times. It can seem like you do not get the rub of the green when you are struggling but at the end of the day, you must make your own luck in life through character and hard work. Fans and players alike have to believe that things can only get better, the sooner the better.
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