Pompey was highlight of season so far
VIEW FROM THE CLAYTON END
SATURDAY was an absolute delight for me. It’s the most I’ve enjoyed watching Accrington for a very long time.
Obviously, we didn’t take all three points and score five goals as we have done in recent times.
But, there came a moment during the second half when I looked around a packed terrace; smiling faces all around me.
A bouncing away end full of life and the sun beaming down on the new stand, Accrington Red contrasting on Pompey Blue, it was just great.
That’s what it’s all about. That’s football.
That’s before you even factor what happens on the field. This team just carries on surprising me every week.
The first 20 minutes we were getting battered.
It certainly looked as though Portsmouth were league leaders and our defence were all over the place.
On another day they might score three and the match is over before it’s begun, on another day. Ripley showed us why he’s the club number 1 and kept it at 0-0 nicely on his return.
Comments around me were that we would concede at any minute, such was the dominance of the visitors.
But, as we’ve seen time and time again, Stanley hit back. I thought Mingoia slotted in nicely but didn’t live up to the form shown by Clark in recent months.
That’s to be expected though and it didn’t stop him giving us a few of those signature mazy runs that almost got us promoted three seasons ago.
He certainly has a part in this side.
Anderton struggled to cope with Jamal Lowe at left back, to be fair to Nick I thought Lowe was the best player I’d seen at the ground for a few years.
He manipulated the ball to a ridiculous level and strode past us as though we weren’t there.
A quick word for Billy after he missed the penalty.
I felt for him because half the fans behind the net celebrate a penalty decision as though we’ve already scored it, all run to the front and wait for the ripple of the net.
It must be nerve racking for him and the pressure got to him this time.
It was a good save, don’t get me wrong, but it was a comfortable height and it gave the keeper a chance.
We’ve been dragged out of the lurch by Billy many a time in recent years so no doubt he’ll bounce back accordingly.
A win would have been ridiculous, and undeserved overall. I had to tell myself to accept a point and just appreciate the game we’d seen.
My thoughts this week have turned to whether I feel we can hold on and snatch a play off place in May. I’ve heard people talking about it from the start and scoffed to them.
When’s the cut off point for deciding if we’re serious or not?
I’ve decided I’ll give it until January. If we’re still riding this ridiculous crest of a wave, then I’ll allow talk of play-offs.
I can see it now; Andy Holt can’t decide whether to laugh or cry as Coleman is talking about signing Aleksandar Mitrovic and meeting a retiring Vincent Kompany to shore up our back line with one final year in the sun. Bliss.
I’m making the trip to Coventry on Saturday because I enjoyed it so much last year.
Sure, there might not be 26,000 on again (there wasn’t anyway) but the home side have won five on the bounce and we’re going to have to show our metal and dig deep to get anything.
See you there, mine’s a Bovril.