S25/26 | The Official Match Thread | Portsmouth 1 Swansea 2 | Att: 18,508 (536 Jacks) | 10.03.26 | The EFL Championship | Fratton Park

[Rhoshilljacks]

Still huge room for improvement but a great win in a tricky away game, and just about deserved for the way we played for the first 60 mins. Good to see the lads still ‘at it’. I had a hunch that they were already on the beach. Happy to be wrong there, it shows good professionalism and man-management.

Figuring out how to at least offer a threat when we’re under the cosh in away games will be the difference between playoff-chasing form and automatic form next season. Once team pins us down we can repel for a while but good chances get coughed up too frequently and we go into some kind of blind panic mode.
“A good technical side with a soft underbelly” is how the Pompey commentators put it. About right.

But huge progress is being made. 26 points from 30 at home, 16 points clear of the drop, 5 off the playoffs with 9 remaining.
If we’d have been offered that after the O’Dea-day at Bristol City I think we’d all have taken it!
Up the swans!

 

[jack_lord]

was that our fourth double of the season

great first half with example of sublime passing. Should have been 4-0 before personnel changes. Gamble of game management that kind of paid off as we got the three points. Pompey will be gutted they didn't equalise and to be fair to Ward he did stabilise the left back gaps. It was squeaky bum time but it really didn't have to be but maybe it will be worth it on Friday with the rested legs.

 

[sit_down_jack]

Don’t want to be the negative one regarding the play offs but we have probably the toughest month of the season coming up, it’s not a good April at all. I’ll be impressed if we beat last seasons points tally. Still though, the hope is alive.

I think we’ll be hoping to make them next season though. Looking forward to what we can do this summer.

 

[Swans Jack]

I really hope we can deliver Matos some good players this summer. You can see the football that he wants to play (1st half tonight was excellent) but we aren’t always capable of dominating a game and sustaining control. He’s definitely the right man for me but has to be backed with quality additions.

The first half is what like many have said is something we need to try and stretch into the second half. I think with a pre season and with the players more conditioned and with a few additions we can start to compete within the top 10 comfortably and upwards next season. You could see Tymon, Franco etc look shattered and who would blame them. I can't see us having the same starting 11 on Friday. It's Yalcouye or Widell with Nunes and Stamenic for me.

 

[Swans Jack]

In the 2nd half our lot looked unrecognisable compared to what they achieved in the 1st, which was sublime it has to be said.

Still, I’m overjoyed and thankful with the win, although I’ll be keeping my powder dry, on the prospect of celebrating getting into the playoffs this time, as every time we get tantalisingly close to doing so, something happens to snatch it away again.

Friday feels to me like it’s going to be one of the biggest games of the season, and it’s not just because of the glitz and glamour of the occasion.

Win it, and the race is on for a playoff spot, lose it and I believe that our race is run for it to become a reality, for this season at least.

Of course, I don’t want our players to get into such a negative mindset should they fall short on the day, as anything could happen, and I’m sure it would be a boon for them to be reminded of how, under Cooper, we just about managed to squeak into the playoffs on the final day of that crazy season.

So keep going lads as you never know, you just never know.

For me Wrexham will be a big ask for us with the amount of games and travel. Players head back tonight to Swansea and then back on the road Thursday to Wrexham for stay over. Rotation for me. I'm gonna take this match with a grain of salt. We got the win over them at home and I'll take a draw. If we win, then it's a statement, but I just don't see it. But who knows.

 

[Ringwood]

I can't understand why he took Galbraith off, we've lost a lot of our shape in midfield.

Galbraith took a knock and was down for a while

 

[Ringwood]

Great win... also great support from our fans even when the 3 key subs swayed the game away from us . Big shout out to Key, his confidence has returned and was my man of the match.

 

[JackFish]

Don’t want to be the negative one regarding the play offs but we have probably the toughest month of the season coming up, it’s not a good April at all. I’ll be impressed if we beat last seasons points tally. Still though, the hope is alive.

I think we’ll be hoping to make them next season though. Looking forward to what we can do this summer.

I said a few weeks ago that with our remaining matches we’d find it hard to break into the top 6 now. Still have to play Cov, Boro, Wrexham & Southampton. Norwich & Sheffield Utd away will be tricky too, they’ve both been just as good as we have in the second half of the season.

Really enjoyed the performance for an hour tonight though, probably our best away from home this season? Should have been out of sight but the subs definitely seemed to kill our momentum. Pleased to see Key showing some of his form from 2 seasons ago too - looked a lot more confident & comfortable and obviously frees up Galbraith to go back into CM.

 

[ABSwan]

Don’t want to be the negative one regarding the play offs but we have probably the toughest month of the season coming up, it’s not a good April at all. I’ll be impressed if we beat last seasons points tally. Still though, the hope is alive.

I think we’ll be hoping to make them next season though. Looking forward to what we can do this summer.

I agree, we're highly unlikely to get into the top 6, but if we do, with the opposition we have to play to get there, we'd have to be one of the favourites with that form.