Leaders pushed

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE STANLEY........................... 1 PORTSMOUTH ................. 1 SHELDAN KEAY

ACCRINGTON Stanley came from a goal down to earn a point as they drew at home to top of the table Portsmouth on Saturday.

Oliver Hawkins had given Portsmouth the lead in the game on 62 minutes, but Michael Ihiekwe equalised juat a couple of minutes later to ensure that his side got a share of the spoils.

The result at the Wham Stadium leaves Accrington in sixth place, and manager John Coleman felt his side were the superior team in the game once they overcame a difficult start.

“For 25 minutes we were battered and they were all over us. They were first to every ball and had four or five chances. They hit the post and our goalkeeper made a good save, but then we came into the game after half an hour,” he said.

“We missed a penalty but had them pinned back, and in the second half I thought we were excellent. We took the game to them, and while they scored a goal and hit the bar, those were their only two attacks in the second half.

“It was one way traffic from us, but our final pass wasn’t quite right. I can’t fault the lads for their effort though, and the least we deserved was a point.

“We spoke about being more dynamic from set plays and attacking the ball. I thought we attacked the ball quite well against Portsmouth in both areas, but I was disappointed with the goal they scored from the set play.

“We had to keep knocking on the door, and once we equalised if anybody was going to win then it was going to be us.

“Both sets of fans were fantastic. I’ve gone on record saying how much I like the Portsmouth fans, as they’re proper football people that treat you well and are educated.

“They don’t see things through one eye, and in recent weeks we’ve experienced that away from home a bit, but the Portsmouth fans don’t see it with tinted glasses.

“Our fans were magnificent as well and it made for a good atmosphere. I don’t think many fan will have gone home disappointed.

“The crowds will only get better if we can keep up our form and keep up with the top end of the table.”

Connor Ripley returned to the Accrington starting line-up for the game after completing his threematch ban for a red card, as he replaced Jonny Maxted.

Ripley was busy during the opening half hour, with Portsmouth dominating proceedings. He made a save to keep out Jamal Lowe from a tight angle, before then making further stops to deny Gareth Evans and Ronan Curtis.

After a tricky opening, Accrington came back into the game and they were given a golden opportunity to take the lead when they were awarded a penalty on 32 minutes.

Craig MacGillivray had brought down Billy Kee in the box, with the striker dusting himself off to take the spot-kick himself. He couldn’t convert though, as MacGillivray made amends for his foul by