Illness and subs factors in defeat – Whittingham

POMPEY legend Guy Whittingham believes the sickness bug which swept through the ranks last week could explain the Blues’ FA Cup exit at the hands of Harrogate Town.

Yet the former Blues boss also questioned whether Danny Cowley’s substitutions played a part in the Fratton Park outfit’s 2-1 defeat to their League Two visitors on Saturday.

Jack Diamond scored an injury-time winner for Simon Weaver’s side as the Blues failed to reach the third round of the FA Cup for the first time since 2017.

Pompey’s preparations, however, were hampered by a sickness bug that went through the camp.

Cowley admitted that up to 10 players were affected, with Joe Morrell and George Hirst unable to feature against Harrogate as a result.

Whittingham said that will have had an impact on the Blues.

However, he also raised the possibility of the head coach’s second-half changes affecting the outcome.

Cowley swapped Kieron Freeman and Harrison for Lee Brown and Ronan Curtis respectively near the hour mark and subsequently changed his formation from a 3-5-2 system to a 4-4-2.

Speaking on BBC Solent after the game, Whittingham said: ‘I think it was the strongest side he (Cowley) could put out in terms of teams on paper.

‘It was interesting. He wasn’t making excuses (in his post-match interviews) but he mentioned several times about the illness through the camp.

‘Now we all know, when we’ve got a sickness bug it does sap the energy out of you, so whether that has had something to do with it or not, I don’t know.

‘Whether it had something to do with a couple of substitutions he made, I don’t know (either).

‘Certainly the questionable one is (Lee) Brown on for (Kieron) Freeman and then they go and change the shape.

‘When (Marcus) Harness went out of that middle area and (Michael) Jacobs came wide, I thought there was a bit of impetus that went Harrogate’s way then – because they had the players that looked like they were the ones who were going to unlock the opposition.

‘After that 60th-minute substitution it didn’t seem like Pompey were quite there to be able to do that.’