Azeez demands Blues deliver response after Cup ‘disappointment’
Midfielder insists Pompey can’t dwell on Harrogate loss and must bounce back against Sheffield Wednesday.
MIGUEL AZEEZ admitted Pompey could have no complaints at their FA Cup exit.
And the Arsenal midfielder demanded a response from his loan side against Sheffield Wednesday in League One tomorrow night, after their deserved 2-1 loss to Harrogate on Saturday.
Azeez came into the starting XI against Simon Weaver’s side, but couldn’t stop them nicking the game at the death to make it to the third round for the first time in their history.
It means an end to Pompey’s six-game winning run and nine-game unbeaten streak.
Danny Cowley’s side couldn’t argue at coming off second best, as the League Two side carved out a string of late chances.
Azeez acknowledged that fact, but feels the onus is on Pompey to put the loss right moving forward.
He said: ‘There’s no complaints, but I can’t blame anyone. We lost the game and we just have to bounce back on Tuesday.
‘There’s disappointment, but we can’t dwell. We’re not in the FA Cup anymore, but we can’t dwell on that. We just have to look to Tuesday in the league.’
Pompey had the better of the first half, but couldn’t quite find their fluency in the final third.
Much of the second half was of little consequence, before the visitors put their foot on the gas late on.
A number of chances went begging before Sunderland loanee Jack Diamond poked home the late, late winner.
Azeez felt Pompey’s own errors led to their downfall.
He added: ‘I feel like it was a competitive game throughout the 90 minutes. It was just mistakes on our end which led to the goals.
‘I feel like every team poses different threats to us, but we are more than capable of dealing with them.
‘It was our mistakes which cost us.’
■ Pompey joined a surprisingly long line of League One clubs knocked out of this season’s FA Cup by League Two opposition.
The Blues fell to a lastgasp 2-1 defeat at home to Harrogate Town in round two on Saturday.
The Sulphurites’ success at Fratton Park was one of nine occasions where a League Two team has beaten League One opposition in the first two rounds.
In defeat, Pompey joined fellow third-tier clubs Sunderland, Accrington, Oxford United, MK Dons, Wycombe, Burton, Lincoln, and Doncaster in exiting the world-famous competition at the hands of a side playing one rung below them in the football pyramid.
Both the Black Cats and Donny fell to defeats against Mansfield as Nigel Clough’s team booked a place in the third round, while Hartlepool – who were promoted from the National League last term – impressively saw off Wycombe (in a first-round replay) and Lincoln.
Perhaps the most eye-catching occasion where this trend occurred was when Port Vale thrashed Accrington 5-1 at home in round one.
James Wilson fired an impressive hat-trick, while Lewis Cass and George Lloyd completed the misery for Accy, who had Colby Bishop dismissed.
One positive to come from the loss to Harrogate could be how Pompey can focus on the league and, to a much lesser extent, Papa John’s Trophy – as their congested fixture list receives a brief reprise.
‘It was just mistakes on our end which led to the goals’
Miguel Azeez