x

Oxford 3 Pompey 0: Day to forget brings Blues to earth

Pompey have had plenty of afternoons to forget at Oxford and they have another to add to the collection after slipping to a poor 3-0 at the Kassam in their first away game since promotion to League One.

The defeat leaves Pompey 13th in League One, one of nine clubs on three points, and is perhaps something of a wake-up call after the euphoria of the opening day win over Rochdale.

There were a couple of surprises in the starting line-up as, from last weekend's team, Kal Naismith replaced Conor Chaplin in an attacking role and Adam May came in for Carl Baker in central midfield. Brandon Haunstrup.

The first half offered little to write home about for Jackett's men, a Kyle Bennett shot straight at ex-Blues stopper Simon Eastwood at the end of the half perhaps their best opening.

By then they should have been behind but Curtis Nelson wasted a golden opportunity when Curtis Nelson put a shot wide after a set-up by another ex-Fratton payroll member Mike Williamson.

Oxford got the breakthrough two minutes into the second half. Luke McGee could not hold on to Christian Ribeiro's shot and Wes Thomas - who had a spell at Pompey last time they were in League One - was there to tuck away the loose ball.

Conor Chaplin and Carl Baker came on and Pompey certainly had their share of attacking play, but without carving out any genuine chances.

And they paid for that when going 2-0 down with eight minutes left, sub Gino van Kessel working himself some space and firing in low past McGee.

Oxford got a third in the dying minutes as Josh Ruffels beat McGee.

That was harsh because it had not really been a 3-0 sort of game, but few could argue that Pompey deserved anything from this trip up the A34.

They'll need to do better when Walsall visit next Saturday, by which time Jackett may have made progress in his efforts to add a midfielder and left-back to his squad.

Pompey: McGee; Talbot (Baker 69), Burgess, Whatmough, Haunstrup; May, Rose; Evans, Pitman, Bennett; Naismith (Chaplin 56). Subs not used: Bass, Davies, Close, Main, Kabamba.

Referee: Graham Salisbury (Marc Wilson 51)

Attendance: 9,510 (1,810 Pompey fans)

Advertisement

Click here to sign up for an account and reserve your username! You can then post on the Forum and add your comments to articles

What to read next:

Cullen on Pompey's transfer strategy: 'It will bring success long-term'
Andy Cullen is comfortable that Pompey's recruitment strategy is working - and says it's important to look at the long-term not just the short-term.
Grateful and happy - how Bishop is feeling after triumphant Pompey return
Grateful to be back in the fold - and for all the support he has been shown by staff and team-mates at Fratton Park.
Blues belief among frustration - Mousinho positive ahead of Pompey-Preston
Pompey are bottom of the Championship and there's a fair bit of doom and gloom among the fan base - but you won't find John Mousinho feeling sorry for himself as he plots to try to secure a home win over Preston North End this weekend.
Pompey head to Hull with boss insisting: We're still in positive mood
John Mousinho is confident Pompey will be in the right frame of mind as they bid to recover from their latest Championship setbacks by gaining some reward from their trip to Hull.
Pompey have so much room for improvement - but doomed already? No way!
Twelve games into Pompey's season, and it would appear we've landed slap bang in the middle of relegation fight. Not what we wanted, not what many expected, I don't think, and not a very nice prospect for the long winter months ahead.
Queens Park Rangers 1 - 2 Portsmouth - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.
'At the start of the journey' - Pompey chief outlines spending strategy
Pompey chief executive Andy Cullen has promised Pompey are not shirking away from spending money on players - but stressed they're at the start of the sort of journey that's brought major success to the likes of Brighton and Brentford.
Pompey in 84-85: the Santa game, 4-4 with Fulham, Biley, Webb, Dillon and Vince - and last-day heartbreak
When I decided to devote this season's View From the North Stand columns in the PFC programme to our past 21 seasons in the second tier, there was only one it was legal to feature in the Oxford programme... 1984-85.
Pompey v Oxford - a must-win game for Blues, or is such talk too early?
October does seem early to talk about must-win games. There are, after all, 38 Championship games to go before we see the final league table.
The power of partnerships - and why Michael Eisner is happy to put faith in this pairing
Michael Eisner calls it the power of partnerships - and he is convinced the pairing he has put faith in to carry Pompey upwards is the right one.