POMPEY PAY PENALTY FOR LATE LAPSE
KENNY Jackett wants his Portsmouth side to show more composure in the final minutes after a late penalty earned Wycombe a draw.
The visitors took the lead through Bryn Morris, only for Pompey to hit back with Gareth Evans and Brett Pitman before Joe Jacobson powered home a 90th-minute penalty.
And after Pompey defender Christian Burgess gave away the spot-kick, Jackett admitted they should have seen the match out.
He said: “Wycombe are a good side and they have a terrific spirit. I didn’t ever think it would be an easy game.
“But when you are 2-1 up with 88 minutes on the clock, you are looking to close the game out.
“Me and Christian (Burgess) talked about the decision afterwards, he didn’t say much, but I told him how we can make sure we win these in the future.
“We need to be more constructive at the right time to make sure we are more effective at both ends of the pitch.”
Pompey started slowly and went close to going behind early on when Fred Onyedinma had his shot deflected wide of a post.
The Chairboys got their breakthrough in the 21st minute as Morris exchanged a one-two with Adebayo Akinfenwa before curling his effort into the bottom corner.
With their unbeaten run under threat, Pompey eventually got on the scoresheet when Evans headed in from an exquisite Jamal Lowe cross in the 57th minute.
Second-half substitute Pitman thought he had won the game when he arrived at the back post to nod home in the 86th minute. But Wycombe were awarded a last-minute penalty after Pompey defender Burgess barged into Onyedinma.
Jacobson stepped up to take the penalty and sent Craig MacGillivray the wrong way to earn a point for his side.
Wycombe boss Gareth Ainsworth was thrilled with his defender’s composure from the spot.
“I have to give some credit to Joe Jacobson after he missed his last penalty against Luton,” said Ainsworth.
“To step-up with everything riding on it, the whole 90 minutes came down to that spot-kick and I thought he was superb.
“He dispatched it fantastically well right in front of the away fans.”
Ainsworth added: “I’m so proud of my boys. They have given me absolutely everything and not many teams will come to Portsmouth and do what we did.
“We wanted to go out there and test what we have got – we are Wycombe Wanderers in League One.
“I said wanted to stop the draws, but I’ll take a point all day long today.”
PORTSMOUTH: MacGillivray 6, N Thompson 6, Clarke 6, Burgess 5, Brown 6, Close 6, Naylor 6, Lowe 7, Evans 6 (Mason, 80 6), Curtis 6, Hawkins 6 (Pitman 69, 8). Subs not used: McGee, Walkes, Wheeler, B Thompson, Haunstrup.
WYCOMBE WANDERERS: Allsop 7, Jombati 6, McCarthy 6, Charles 6, Jacobson 7, Bloomfield 6 (Thompson 90+2), Gape 6, Morris 6, Onyedinma 7, Akinfenwa 6, Kashket 6 (Cowan-Hall 62, 6). Subs not used: Saunders, Mackail-Smith, Harriman,R Williams, Makabu-Makalamby.