@PompeyChicken spent the afternoon at home listening to live radio commentary on @SolentSport with Lawrence Herdman (Loz) and Alan McLoughlin (Macca).
Summary
Pompey fell to a controversial 2-0 defeat at the Madjedski Stadium against Reading in this Championship encounter. The South Coast team were backed by over 4,000 travelling fans.
The win moved Reading in to the play-off positions, aided by Nottingham Forest's heavy defeat against Leeds United at lunch time. Reading have 60 points and a game in hand (at home to PNE) on the teams around them.
Defeat for Pompey leaves their play-off ambitions hanging by a thread. They remain in 13th position, having played 39 games and on 54 points, six off the play-off positions but with games – especially winnable games – rapidly running out.
Pompey had plenty of good chances to score in this game, especially early on, but were unable to make any of them count. Dave Kitson, returning to his former club was particularly profligate in front of goal.
In the end two goals, the second from the penalty spot, from impressive Irish international striker Shane Long were enough to secure The Royals all three points.
Pompey's fate was effectively sealed when referee Kevin Friend mistakenly adjudged Ricardo Rocha's challenge on Long to be inside the penalty area: pictures showed the incident took place a good yard outside of the box. To rub salt into Pompey's wounds the referee also sent off Rocha meaning they had to play most of the match with ten men.
On another day it would have been a yellow card and a free-kick outside of the box. Such are the fine lines of referee decision making and the impact it can have on the outcome of a game.
Pompey started the game with an unchanged starting eleven from the previous match, against Leicester City.
Danny Webber was named amongst Pompey's substitutes, his first appearance in a matchday squad since his terrible cruciate injury over 12 months ago at White Hart Lane.
Reports after the game said that former Pompey owner Al Fahim was in the crowd, sitting amongst the Pompey fans. Unfortunately his presence sparked some unruly behaviour from a minority which led to a hasty exit towards the end of match.
There was also an incident involving on-loan Carl Dickinson after the game with a travelling fan, during Dickinson's warm down.
A slightly bitter taste left in the mouth after this game for more than one reason.
Radio commentary highlights
Here are some of the 'highlights' from the BBC Radio Solent match commentary.
On five minutes David Nugent won a corner down the left hand side which was taken by Liam Lawrence. The ball came back to him from the corner and from his cross he found Dave Kitson unmarked. Unfortunately his header went wide of the goal. Macca commented that it should have been 1-0 to Pompey. It was a 'nailed on' chance. It was a really bad miss by Kitson and he won't get a better chance today. He got nothing on the header and the ball skimmed off his head.
On nine minutes, Macca commented that it was a lively game. Kitson had the best opportunity but reading were coming back in to the game.
On eleven minutes the Pompey fans were clearly audible on the radio: 'Portsmouth City FC!'
On fourteen minutes Macca commented that Reading's Jem Karacan had got the ball in to a brilliant position, past Hermann. Loz said it was a dangerous cross of quality but nobody got on the end of it following a neat Cruyff turn.
After fifteen minutes Macca commented that the Pompey wall at a free kick, conceded in a good position, was solid and blocked the ball well as the players jumped to stop Ian Harte's shot. The ball deflected away for a corner.
On twenty minutes, Loz commented that Pompey looked well organised at the back.
On twenty-one minutes, Nugent found himself onside from a Greg Halford pass and shot on goal from the edge of the penalty area. McCarthy the Reading keeper fumbled the ball and Kitson missed the opportun ity to score from six yards out, the ball hit the keeper's legs and deflected away.
Macca commented that Kitson needed to show more composure in front of goal, he hit his shot directly at the keeper. Pompey were playing some good counter-attacking football and looked solid at the back. Kitson had two gilt edged chances and missed them both.
On twenty-five minutes Nugent caught Reading defender Gunnarsson – one of three Icelandic players on the pitch - in possession, passed the ball inside which eventually found its way to Jonathan Hogg whose shot was way-off target. It was more good counter-attacking football from Pompey.
On twenty-seven minutes Mullins conceded a free-kick, he scythed down Brian Howard just as he was about to shoot. Mullins received a booking. Harte again wasted the free-kick which went high over the cross bar in to the Pompey fans. It was a driving, swirling shot.
Macca commented that the Pompey players must stop going to ground and giving away silly free-kicks.
On twenty-nine minutes Reading scored. The move started following a Pompey corner which came to nothing. Jimmy Kebe broke with the ball and found Karacan who passed to Long. His shot, from a long way out, somehow got past Jamie Ashdown. Macca commented that the ball got went underneath the body of Ashdown.
Two minutes later and Kitson had another chance following a cross by David Cotterill but the ball bounced up a bit high and his shot went in to the ground and the opportunity was gone. Loz asked if he should have headed it?
Kitson had yet another effort a couple of minutes later, this time from long distance. The keeper fumbled the shot but no Pompey players were following up.
On thirty-five minutes came the controversy. Ricardo Rocha was sent off for a challenge on Shane Long. It was described by Loz as a miscarriage of justice (twice!). Referee Kevin Friend was out of position, a long way back and he made the decision. The linesman 'bottled it'. The infringement took place a long way outside of the area.
Long took the penalty kick and sent Ashdown the wrong way.
Macca commented that it was an awful decision by the referee, the incident was clearly not in the box, although he did concede that Rocha was the last man.
Loz commented that it was a travesty of an error by the referee.
Four minutes later both Loz and Macca thought Halford had backpassed to Ashdown and the keeper picked up the ball. Macca commented that the linesman was having a nightmare.
The Pompey fans were subdued and scratching their heads with their team two-nil down.
On forty-four minutes Reading took a quick throw-in but the referee called it back. Macca commented that there was no reason why a quick throw-in couldn't be taken there and that the referee had 'lost the plot'!
With Aaron Mokoena coming on in place of the unlucky David Cotterill to shore up the defence, Steve Cotterill stood in his technical area with his hands on his hips.
There were two minutes of added time.
In the forty-sixth minute Liam Lawrence found himself in a good position to shoot but just as he was about to pull the trigger Karacan toe poked the ball away for a corner.
Unfortunately, Lawrence looked injured. Was it his calf again asked Macca. He didn't expect to see him come out for the second half.
The referee blew the whistle for half-time. Macca summarised by saying that Rocha being sent off was possibly the correct decision but the penalty kick was not. The difference between the two sides was that Reading had taken their chances and Pompey have missed two good chances. Pompey need to settle down. The Reading keeper is a bit edgy so they need to keep getting shots away to test him.
HT: Reading 2-0 Portsmouth
Pompey started the second half in bright sunshine.
Macca was surprised that Lawrence had come out for the second half. He had to be careful.
It was noted that the referee, Mr Friend, appeared to be taking a slightly lenient approach in some of is decisions. For example, Jonathan Hogg could have been booked for a foul (but wasn't) and David Nugent could have been booked for blasting the ball in to the Pompey fans after the whistle had gone (but wasn't). Interesting...
On fifty-two minutes, the lively Karacan broke in to the box for the home team and swapped passes with Howard but the move came to nothing. A couple of minutes later Hreidarsson pushed Jimmy Kebe in the back to 'rough him up a bit' as Macca put it but the referee again remained patient and took no action. Interesting...
As the day's attendance figures were announced Loz commented that it was good to see the floods of loyalty from the Pompey fans who had made the trip to Berkshire. Their voices were being well heard.
On fifty-seven minutes a corner won after good work by Liam Lawrence came to nothing and the ball found its way all the way back to Jamie Ashdown.
In the sixty-third minute Pompey won another corner after Nugent and Kitson had swapped passes. Liam Lawrence urged the Pompey fans behind the goal to raise their voices. The corner led to a Kitson header which was off target.
Two minutes later a goal ward shot from Hayden Mullins hit Kitson on the back. Loz asked if he had kicked a black cat?! It just wasn't his day although there was little he could do on this occasion to get out of the way.
Following a Reading corner in the sixty-seventh minute Long failed to convert and secure his hat-trick, the ball hitting Ashdown on the knees. In the follow-up Howard put the ball in the net but the referee had blown for an infringement. Macca commented that he hadn't seen anything and it was a good calm side footed effort from Howard. Pompey had been a bit lucky on that occasion. Interesting...
The game had opened up a bit and with Pompey a man down their back four was becoming exposed by the home team.
In the seventieth minute Aaron Mokoena committed a bad foul on Howard who ended up writhing on the floor. Pompey players immediately surrounded the referee Mr Friend, perhaps to ensure the South African didn't get a red card. It was a shocking challenge. The card's colour was yellow. Loz asked if the pressure from the Pompey players had put pressure on Mr Friend?
Reading's substitute Robson-Kanu was coming in to the game more and more as the second half progressed.
In the seventy-third minute a ball from Reading's Jay Tabb was aimed at Long in the penalty area but Ashdown under pressure and the ball went out for a corner. The experienced Khizanishvili found himself in an unmarked position from the corner but put his effort wide.
In the seventy-fith minute, the linesman signalled for a corner kick instead of a free-kick after Tabb had clearly been pushed by a Pompey defender. Macca commented that the linesman was having a nightmare. The corner kick came to nothing.
In the seventy-sixth minute good play from Pompey led to a Liam Lawrence shot being parried by the Reading keeper and was followed by a 'rugby scrum type' scramble and eventually a free-kick to the home team. The ball had been trapped between the knees of a Pompey player. The Pompey fans reminded the ref that he didn't know what he was doing!
Loz commented that if those early Pompey chances in the first half hadn't been spurned it could have been a different story.
There were a lot of tired bodies down on the pitch for Pompey. Reading were getting the ball wide, trying not to lose it and attempting to de-energise Pompey.
In the eighty-fifth minute of the match long term absentee Danny Webber came on in place of David Nugent.
In the eightieth minute some good build-up play involving Kitson, Mullins and substitute Joel Ward broke down with the wave of the offside flag.
The game was fizzling out according to Loz as it entered the final minutes.
But not before Kitson had one more chance, a long range effort that was blocked by Long. He took one touch too many the sign of a player not that confident in Macca's opinion. Loz commented that Kitson had seven or eight good chances in the match.
In the last minute of normal time, Reading substitute Simon Church unleashed a rapier shot which hit the back of the net but was disallowed for an apparent offside decision. Another contentious moment. Interesting...
Two minutes in to added time Lawrence burst in to he penalty area but his shot hit the side netting.
Three minutes in to added time Hogg got a yellow card, fortunately as he didn't receive a yellow earlier he didn't see red.
Four minutes in to added time there was an incident in the stands with stewards gathering. I believe, as reported this later, that this was an incident involving former Pompey owner Al Fahim in an altercation with some Pompey fans.
FT: Reading 2-0 Portsmouth
Post Match Comments
Macca – Pompey created lots of chances and didn't take any of them. They played long periods of the game with 10 men after Rocha's sending off.
Macca – it was a good team effort, the application was fine although the quality was a bit amiss.
Loz – the players saluted the Pompey fans at the end
Macca – it was a last ditch challenge after a good deep ball through by Howard but it was outside of the box.
Macca – I'm disappointed but the players showed application, good attitude and kept going. They didn't create too many chances in the second half.
Macca - Kitson is not confident, overall he needs to show more at Portsmouth if he's to get the same adulation at Fratton Park as he got from the Reading fans.
Loz reported a while later that Pompey substitute Carl Dickinson had attracted the attention of the last few Pompey fans in the stadium and he'd got in to a real verbal spat and exchange of words with one as he was doing his warm down. Dickinson had to be taken away by Pompey coach Ian Woan as he got angry.
Macca – frustration all round. Disappointing for the 4,000 Pompey fans who travelled.
Macca – the offcials had an average game (!) and with PNE winning today that will liven things up at Fratton Park for next week's game.
Macca – Pompey kept a positive formation despite the sending off, they kept driving forward. They still have a chance to get in to the play-offs. Hopefully, they'll be able to put a few goals in to the net.
Loz – Pompey were lucky in the end to keep ten players on the pitch. Mr Friend the referee had a poor game and his linesmen didn't help him.
Portsmouth versus Reading: Jamie Ashdown, Ritchie de Laet, Greg Halford, Ricardo Rocha, Hermann Hreidarsson, Hayden Mullins, Jonathan Hogg, David Cotterill, Liam Lawrence, David Nugent and Dave Kitson. Substitutes: Daryll Flahavan, Carl Dickinson, Aaron Mokoena, Danny Webber, Joel Ward, Nadir Ciftci, Kanu
Attendance: 21,896 with 4,027 Pompey fans
MOTM: nobody stood out for Pompey. The home fans probably thought Dave Kitson was the man of the match for the numberof chances he missed during the game!
Next up: Preston North End (h) on Saturday 9th April 2011, 3PM kick-off.
Note 1: this article is based on notes made during the matchday commentary on BBC Radio Solent on Saturday April 2nd between 3PM and 6PM.
Note 2: after the game both Steve Cotterill and Liam Lawrence commented in their interviews that Steve had shown Mr Friend the referee footage on his lap top of the sending off and penalty incident during the half-time interval. Interesting...
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