We are back at PO4 this week for a double header of League One matches. Bristol Rovers await the Blues on Saturday but first up the first floodlit Fratton fixture of the season - Cambridge United the visitors.
Danny Cowley’s side continued their unbeaten start to the campaign at the weekend with a first league win too, recording a 2-0 victory at Cheltenham Town.
Cambridge United provide the opposition for the fourth League One matchday of the season at Fratton Park.
MANAGER
The U’s are led by local lad Mark Bonner, who was born in Cambridge in 1985. The 36-year-old has held many different positions at the Abbey Stadium since his first role in 2011. Over those 11 years, Bonner has worked extensively within the academy, as well as being assistant head coach to interim boss Joe Dunne in February 2018.
He took change of first team proceedings for himself in January 2020, following the departure of Colin Calderwood. The role was made full-time that March, however due to the curtailment of the season due to COVID-19, his first game in charge as permanent head coach didn’t come for another six months.
Ever since that inaugural match, a League Cup win over Birmingham City, Bonner has recorded 52 wins from 116 competitive matches - That’s a win percentage of 44.8%
ONE TO WATCH
Former Pompey players are often tipped to be ones to look out for whenever they come face-to-face with the Blues and this time is no different - Cambridge have two within their ranks. Both of which not only former members of the Portsmouth squad but graduates of the academy too.
25-year-old defender Brandon Haunstrup joined the U’s from Kilmarnock this summer, having left Fratton Park two years ago.
Midfielder Adam May, who is now 24, departed PO4 in the same transfer window as Haunstrup but went directly to Cambridge and helped them to promotion from League Two in 2021.
TOP SCORER
Mark Bonner’s amber army have netted 3 league goals so far, each of them scored by different players.
23-year-old Harvey Knibbs scored the first on the opening weekend of the new league season but then the U’s blanked in matchday 2 against Oxford. In their most recent outing, Cambridge had both Sam Smith and Paul Digby present on the scoresheet.
CURRENT FORM
A decent start to the season sees Cambridge up in 6th place after the first three matches.
They opened the league campaign with a 1-0 win over Milton Keynes before seeing off Championship opponents Millwall a fortnight ago in the First Round of the Carabao Cup. That was followed by a 1-0 defeat at Oxford United, before seeing off Exeter City by 2 goals to 1 in their most recent display at the weekend.
In January of this year these two sides met twice - First on the 3rd of January as the spoils were shared in a goalless league fixture at the Abbey Stadium, before the Blues then returned just 8 days later for a Papa John’s Trophy Round of 16 tie.
Cambridge claimed progression to the Quarter-Finals on that night after a 2-1 win, thanks to a brace from the aforementioned Harvey Knibbs.
Who will go the distance this time around and claim all three points, or will Pompey and Cambridge share a draw as they did the last time they faced off in a league fixture?
All of the unmissable action, on Pompey Live!
