Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
POMPEY FEEL CURT SHORT
RONAN CURTIS blasted referee Gavin Ward after claiming Portsmouth saw four penalty claims waved away.
Marcus Browne’s solo strike for Oxford ensured honours ended even in the League One play-off first leg at Fratton Park.
Browne’s 43rd-minute leveller cancelled out a Curtis opener to leave the tie firmly in the balance ahead of Monday’s return.
But Irish winger Curtis (right) was fuming with the officials and said: “We had four appeals. It was a shambles.
“The one at the end, the player has clipped my ankle and it’s either a yellow card for me for diving or a penalty. We were unlucky. We battered them the first half and all game. The referee and linesmen didn’t help us. We had been training hard for this game and are confident for Monday.” Despite the 16-week break,
Pompey started brightly with Curtis hitting the post early on before he put the hosts aheadon 32 minutes.
Browne levelled in fine style before the break but it took a diving save from keeper Simon Eastwood to foil Portsmouth’s Christian Burgess.
Pompey saw a host of appeals rejected but believed a last-minute penalty shout should have been given after Curtis tangled with the legs of Daniel Agyei off the ball.
Oxford boss Karl Robinson said: “We are happy with the result. We rode the storm early on and their goal came against the run of play. We got stronger at the back end of the game. It was a typical first round of play-off game when nobody wants to give it away. We will take that result.
“I don’t think the ref had a great game. They could perhaps have had one penalty.”