When the fourth official held up the board to indicate 5 minutes of added time from the Fratton Park touchline, hearing all four stands in the ground up the ante was something to behold
The Blues had not been at their best throughout the encounter, but found a way to add another precious three points in the promotion push.
The support more than played their part in helping the team over the line in the closing moments, the ground sounding as loud as has in recent years with everyone understanding the significance of the victory.
Oxford had carried a real threat all afternoon and few could argue they would have been good value for at least a point.
The U’s were able to get in behind in wide areas throughout the afternoon, keeping Rafferty and Ogilvie very busy. It was clear the game-plan was to exploit these areas quickly with the likes of Dale and Murphy.
The Oxford setup out of Possession in a 4-4-2 had also made it extremely difficult for The Blues to bring Pack and Miles Peart-Harris on the ball with regularity.
It was the first time we had seen Peart-Harris deployed in a deeper role, coming in alongside Pack. It didn’t quite work out for MPH, as Mousinho alluded to in his post-match interview, we saw spells of good things, but it was also clear to see some of his shortcomings in that position. Peart-Harris had not played in that position since his academy days at Chelsea, so this was always going to be a bit of a learning curve for a young player still making his way in the professional game.
His midfield partner Marlon Pack once again led his team superbly throughout. In recent weeks, ever since the Northampton game, Pack has really stepped up to the plate. I believe that he is currently in his best form that we have seen since he returned to the south coast. The work he is doing off the ball, orchestrating his team mates, snapping into tackles and winner headers sets the tone for the fight we see from this team. Despite not being on top from as a team, there were other notable performances from the like of Norris, Rafferty and Shaughnessy.
When the team isn’t able to reach their fluent best, you need to dig in, see out spells of pressure and show your quality when the moments present themselves. Also, a bit of good fortune can help along the way.
Oxford struck the woodwork on two occasions before Christian Saydee raced through to score the winning goal.
The corner flag positioned between the South Stand and Milton End played a part, nicely cushioning the ball to Connor Ogilvie to clear up field. Colby Bishop, who had worked tirelessly all afternoon, nicks in ahead of the defender, this allows Pack to play a wonderful threaded pass through to Saydee.
He still had a lot to do though, taking the ball away from a desperate defender's lunge, it felt like an age in the stands, as he closed in on Jamie Cumming’s goal. The finish was immaculate, given the situation and the flow of the game up to that point, there was huge pressure on that strike.
You can’t help but feel delighted for him on a personal level also. Hooked at half time versus Leyton Orient following a poor half, Saydee has seen players coming into the club taking up the position he is competing for, resulting in limited minutes and on some occasions, being omitted completely from the matchday squad. He is never short of energy and endeavour when called upon, so to see him get his first league goal coupled with the significance of it, was wonderful to see.
From that goal onwards, the crowd ramped up the atmosphere to another level. As we entered the closing stages, the fans sensed the players needed the extra push of the 12th man to see it through. This squad have shown time and time again, they go from the first whistle till the last and the supporters stayed with them every step of the way. During the course of the season this group have endeared themselves to the support base and the connection from the terraces to the grass is evident.
The repeated chorus of ‘blue army’ as we came into added time truly was, spine tingling and a feeling that will not be forgotten for a long time.
Pompey will encounter plenty of tough moments between now and the end of the season, with the race not fully run just yet. As we enter the final ten games, the run-in is fully underway, both players and support have a role to play.
