Bazuna Chimes at the Mazuma…
Portsmouth made the 266-mile journey from the south coast to north Lancashire to face Morecambe today at the Mazuma stadium. They have never won at this venue, losing one and drawing three of their previous meetings. However, Pompey have beaten Morecambe three times altogether out of nine historical meetings and lost twice. They won the reverse fixture last December 2-0 against a team managed by the man – Stephen Robinson – who has celebrated his subsequent defection to St Mirren North of the Border by losing eight of the nine games his new club has played so far. His replacement at the Maz, on the other hand, has overseen nothing less than a renaissance (`miracle’ might be a better word) at the club using the same players he inherited from the Ulsterman. Just four games ago, Derek said – after his team had shipped nine goals and scored only one from the penalty spot in their previous two matches – that the Shrimps needed to win at least three of their remaining League One games. It seemed an improbable – if not actually impossible – task. But in their last four games, his men have done exactly what he asked for by winning three of them in order to propel the Shrimps three points and two places away from the position Robbo abandoned them in: top of the bottom four in the division.
The visitors, on the other hand, arrived in ninth place in League One on the back of two wins and two losses in their last five matches. With just three games left to play, it is mathematically impossible for the Hampshire club to reach the Play-Offs and they thus had only pride to play for today. However, they beat Rotherham United three-nil last Tuesday at Fratton Park to throw a spanner in someone else’s hopes for success so nobody would be underestimating them at the Maz today – least of all Morecambe Manager Derek Adams. He said prior to the match:
“It is extremely tight at the bottom of the division. We knew it was going to be difficult, we have three games to go and we understand what we have to do. The players have shown that fighting spirit on the pitch and the supporters have as well. They are willing us to get those points and it is up to us to go and get them. We have to try and keep on winning football matches, there is no doubt about it; win more points against the opposition that are down there and that is what we are trying to do. We are looking forward to the game, another tough test in Portsmouth at home. They are a fantastic football club and I am sure after Friday’s win against Charlton will see us close to capacity at the Mazuma Stadium. We have had three wins in such a short space of time as well as two draws that have really helped us. We have a group of players that are willing and wanting this football club to stay in League One. They have certainly given themselves a fighting chance. I think that we have a togetherness throughout the Club that enabled us to get to League One last season and it is showing that we have quality within this squad.”
Opposition Manager Danny Cowley made these observations about the task facing his team before the game today:
“They will obviously be buoyed by what was a very good victory in London at Charlton on Friday. We know the rules when you play the teams at the bottom of the table towards the end of the season. I can promise everyone that we’ll also be doing what we can to get a positive result and our motivation will be there. Morecambe will be extremely motivated, they’ll be battling and will do everything they can to try to win. We respect that, but we’re on a journey as well and have taken 28 points from our past 14 games, which is a really good record. I can promise everyone that we’ll also be doing what we can to get a positive result and our motivation will be there. We know that we’ll have a lot of supporters travelling all the way up there from the south coast to get behind us. The fact that they’re doing that and putting in so much effort over the Easter weekend means we have to empty the tank. We’re looking to produce a performance that reflects our values because we want to be the best version of ourselves.”
For the visitors, Mr Cowley was unable to pick Kieron Freeman – who is suffering from a damaged ankle – or Reeco Hackett-Fairchild and Jayden Reid (who both have knee injuries). For Morecambe, Greg Leigh retained his place in the continuing absence of injured Ryan McLaughlin.
It was sunny and dry with a deceptively strong and cold wind blowing from the west as the game started. Portsmouth must have won the toss as they elected to play the first half against the massed ranks of their own fans.
It was one-way traffic almost right from the start although Pompey played some crisp, accurate football in the first ten minutes or so and actually won the first corner of the game after four minutes. But Trevor Carson in the home goal was only tested twice during the entire opening half. The first time was after nineteen minutes, when Shaun Williams’ effort from a fair way out was easily collected by him.
At the other end, though, highly-rated Manchester City loanee Gavin Bazuna and his goal led a charmed life all afternoon. Almost quarter of an hour had been played when Cole Stockton broke the defending rearguard with a smart pass which saw Dylan Connolly bear down and goal and unleash a shot which went just wide of Bazuma’s left hand post. Arthur Gnahoua was a handful again today and he was denied when the visiting goalkeeper got the merest of touches to push a shot from him after nineteen minutes against his left-hand post. The ball spun agonisingly right across his goal-line – and on most other occasions, it would have hit the other post and gone in. But not today. The goalkeeper did brilliantly, however, after 22 minutes. Cole the Goal seemed to be certain to score yet again but was denied by him twice – once from his original close-range shot and again as he somehow managed to keep Stockton’s second effort out of the net as well after first of all doing brilliantly to deal with Gnahoua’s initial shot. On another occasion, either one of these efforts might have gone in. But not today. And so it went on.
Morecambe asked all the questions but – despite some very poor dead ball kicking – the away goalkeeper kept them out. As the Pompey Chimes rang out across the ground from the visiting support, the men in the predominately white strip had their second effort on goal just four minutes before the end of the period. Ronan Curtis nodded Clark Robertson’s cross to Captain Sean Raggett and he controlled the ball well, spun and shot in one motion to see his effort hit the woodwork high up and drop into the net. It might have bounced away from the danger zone instead. But not today. It was a tremendous strike although it made you wonder if Lady Luck had hitched a ride on the Portsmouth team bus today because they went back to the dressing rooms with a lead which they were extremely fortunate to have.
Pompey played much better – and at a far faster pace – in the second half. But still the home team continued to be the more threatening of the two sides – and the visitors continued to ride their luck. Bazuma’s panic-stricken clearance after 55 minutes could have gone virtually anywhere. But not today. As it happened, it hit an onrushing Arthur and bounced past the wrong side of the post from Morecambe’s point of view. He panicked again after 72 minutes but this time his wild clearance cannoned-off Adam Phillips and could easily have gone under his bar. But not today: it went over it instead. Lucky, lucky boy…
At the other end of the pitch, his Opposite Number continued to have very little to do. The only shot I can remember the visitors having in the entire second period was by George Hirst after 68 minutes – and it missed the target altogether. Cole was man-handled as ever as the useless Referee – Robert Madley – did nothing about it, even when he was being regularly sandwiched by two opponents and even clearly having his hair pulled. The officious nobody with the whistle threatened to spoil yet another match with his usual bucketful of decisions ranging from poor to bad to appalling. This didn’t help either team – or the flow of the game. To be fair to them, Pompey didn’t play for time or feign injury to drag things out as the second half progressed. They simply defended and continued to ride their luck.
Morecambe seemed to have equalised right at the death after substitute Toumani Diagouraga’s effort finally found the back of the Portsmouth net – but the Man in the Middle ruled it out for handball.
So it was beginning to look like one of those games where Morecambe were going to lose despite having the far better chances of the ninety minutes. But in the second of five added minutes right at the end, they finally reduced the arrears. Greg Leigh’s corner was spilled by the Pompey goalkeeper and substitute Jonah Ayunga joyfully swept it home.
It would have been a travesty if the Shrimps had got nothing out of this match today. Visiting Manager Danny Cowley complained long and loud to the incompetent in the middle at the end of proceedings. He was probably claiming that his goalkeeper was fouled when Morecambe equalised. Maybe he had a point – the Man in Black missed almost everything else after all. But Danny should have been asking him to resign – this uniformed clown is (probably literally) not fit to officiate at League One level.
The late draw really helped to keep Morecambe’s survival hopes on track. There were two Red Cards at Gillingham, where Fleetwood managed to escape with a goal-less draw which doesn’t really help either of them at the bottom of the Division. AFC Wimbledon were leading for much of their game against Wycombe but that also ended in a draw with one goal each. Seemingly doomed Doncaster also drew (three each at Shrewsbury) to complete a sequence of just one point gained by all the clubs manoeuvring in the primeval swamp which is the bottom of League One. So Morecambe remain three points clear of the oblivion which still threatens to engulf them despite having consolidated their nineteenth position in League One. Derek Adams told us all after the game:
“Portsmouth are a very good side but they didn’t cause us much trouble today. I think that’s testament to the team. But on the flip side, the amount of good opportunities we had; if we had won or five- one today, nobody could have complained. We were outstanding all over the pitch. (It was) an excellent performance from us.”
Morecambe: 30 Trevor Carson; 3 Greg Leigh; 5 Jacob Bedeau; 9 Cole Stockton; 10 Aaron Wildig (C) (17 Jonah Ayunga 59’); 11 Dylan Connolly (8 Toumani Diagouraga 67’); 18 Adam Phillips; 22 Liam Gibson; 24 Arthur Gnahoua; 27 Ousmane Fané (25 Alfie McCalmont 76’); 31 Rhys Bennett.
Subs Not Used: 41 Adam Smith; 4 Anthony O’Connor; 19 Shane McLoughlin; 21 Ryan Cooney.
Portsmouth: 1 Gavin Bazunu; 4 Clark Robertson; 6 Shaun Williams (23 Louis Thompson 62’); 8 Ryan Tunnicliffe; 10 Marcus Harness (15 Mahlon Romeo 71’); 11 Ronan Curtis; 16 Connor Ogilvie; 17 Hayden Carter; 19 George Hirst; 20 Sean Raggett (C); 24 Michael Jacobs (7 Aiden O’Brien 63’).
Subs Not Used: 9 Tyler Walker; 22 Liam Vincent; 25 Jade Jay Mingi; 28 Oliver Webber.
Ref: Robert Madley.
Att: 4893 (including a magnificent 806 from Portsmouth).
