Portsmouth FC v Carlisle United FC
Skybet League 2, Fratton Park, 1/11/14
So, the fixture I’d looked forward to the most after Hartlepool away was upon us. Portsmouth away. Always wanted to visit Fratton park, since their days spent in the upper echelons of the football league before their untimely, and highly unfortunate plummet to the lower leagues due to the famous off pitch troubles, with their grand stadium oozing character and tradition, playing my beloved Carlisle United in a league 2 fixture, where we’ve been in the lower echelons of the leagues for a number of years.
The night previously, I had my best friend and another close friend stay in my flat, due to me living on the Cumbria/Lancashire border it’d save us an hour travelling each way on the day. After picking up a couple of late additions from my local train station at 6.20, we hit the m6 southbound at 7 en route to our 3rd furthest away game of the league 2 campaign.
After realising that my sat nav was actually correct, and it would only take 5 hours driving each way then I decided to not rush and take 3 service station stops and not rush there. Finding the roads free of traffic until we hit the south coast, the trip was very uneventful. Arrived at 1.30pm and parked up in a johnstones paint store car park not far from the stadium.
Fratton Park is a stadium is always wanted to visit to catch a game, unfortunately our last meeting there in league 1 in the 12/13 season was at a time where I was unable to make the trip due to work commitments, so this season for me was a must. Why do I want to visit Fratton Park you may ask?
To sample the famed Pompey atmosphere, another ground that oozes character from Victorian façade decorating the main reception, to the old style stadium that we sadly see less of these days due to ikea stadiums built nowadays
The Victorian façade decorating the main entrance to Fratton park.
After a quick walk around to the ticket office to pick some tickets up, we headed to the Shepherds Crook pub (despite a close friends idea of an ice cream on the seafront, sorry john), where home and away fans were warmly received watching the early kick offs of Newcastle v Liverpool and wolves v Birmingham. After parting with £3.50 for what the bar staff called a pint of Carling, or what northerners call a piss poor pint for ridiculous money only in the south would charge, we then headed up to the Milton End.
Unfortunately, the route to the away end is littered with graffiti that resembled the east end of Kraków, what the point of this was I don’t know. Upon entering the stadium, the normal English football steward required thing happened, we got searched, and the stewards seemed to not understand the northern sense of humour when he asked if we were carrying anything we shouldn’t, and threatened to take the matter further with police. Great start that was.
When the travelling contingent I was with were finally allowed entry, the first thing that struck me about Fratton park was how wide the pitch was. I started getting excited at the thought of Matty Robson and David Amoo exploiting this to our advantage down the wings, then duly noted that them players were on the bench. Well, that’s just great.
The game kicked off with Carlisle defending the Milton end where we were stood. Well, I say Carlisle defended that end, but in reality Portsmouth ripped Carlisle to pieces a couple of times down the wide wings and we simply couldn’t cope with it in the first 90 seconds. Oh, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish I suppose. The next attack down pompeys left wing duly leaving a severe case of old Carlisle (lack of movement on the pitch) with a shot being spilled by Hanford right into the path of the deadly Craig Westcarr from 10 yards.
2 min. Portsmouth 1-0 Carlisle.
It’s alright I thought, we always seem to play awful first half. But did this wake the yellow shirts up? No. Normal service resumed until Holmes found storey with a delectable ball leaving him 1 on 1 with Hanford from 20 yards. Instead of taking his time, Shorey brilliantly hit the ball with the outside of his foot, curled in to the top left hand corner of Hanfords goal
26 min. Portsmouth 2-0 Carlisle
Just get to half time lads
Half time whistle blew, and me following to get some refreshments.
£3 for a peppered steak pasty, and £2 for bovril was pretty extortionate, especially seeing as the pasty wasn’t particularly great. Oh well, at least we will do better second half.
Carlisle attacked the away end, well I say attacked, but that’s where the Portsmouth keeper Jones was probably daydreaming about what was for tea later, he was that busy. Half time saw the arrival of Derek Asamoah for Georg Iliev, and Matty Robson for Courtney Meppen-Walter to attempt a different route back into the game.
The second half continued like the first, Pompey carving the Carlisle defence apart at will and ease, and the pressure told on 74 mins as as Danny Hollands shot past Hanford to make it 3-0, after yet another pathetic defensive calamity.
Frustrations were boiling over in Hayden White as he scythed at a Portsmouth player in a late tackle, that on looking at video replays was always going to be a red card. Unfortunately this brought the game to a sour last 10 minutes as numerous Portsmouth and Carlisle players decided to have a bit of handbags at dawn on the pitch. The challenge from white may have prematurely ended his Carlisle career as a 3 match ban will take him to the end of his current loan spell from Bolton, which is a shame as white has been a real shining light in what’s turned out to be a bit of a disaster season yet again for Carlisle.
Following the final whistle, the team and management applauded the magnificent 347 in the away stand, a fantastic effort for a league 2 club with a 720 mile round trip. I left Fratton park disappointed in a couple of things.
1. The showing (or lack of showing) from the team. I was quietly confident of getting at least a point in the week leading up to the game, due to our strong form going into it of 12 points from 18, and portsmouths form of 2 points from 18
2. The famous Portsmouth atmosphere. Yes, when the Home contingent were singing, it was loud, however they didn’t sing for long and had 3 songs. And of course that annoying bell. And trombone.
Headed back to the car, and started the journey at 5pm. Fuelled up for the way back, landing back in South Cumbria at 11.30pm after dropping the 2 late additions with their dad to continue the last hour to Carlisle.
All in all, a fantastic day. Result I’ve now rendered done and dusted, it happened no point crying over it. Peterborough away next week in FA cup is a ground we traditionally tend to self destruct at. Over the years there we’ve tended to get smashed for 6. Looking past that, back to league 2 action as we entertain Accrington Stanley at home, 3 points is expected from that.
Portsmouth: Blue
Jones, Wynter, Devera, Shorey, Robinson, Dunne, Hollands, Holmes, Wallace (Close 88), Storey (Tarbuck 82), Westcarr (Taylor 79). Not used: Poke, Ertl, Butler, Atangana.
Carlisle United: Yellow
Hanford, White, Meppen-Walter (Robson 45), Anderson, Grainger, Potts, Marrow, Dempsey, Brough (Amoo 63), Beck, Iliev (Asamoah 45)
Thanks for reading,
Doug