The pure and unadulterated 4-0 win over Swansea City kicked off Pompey’s 2025 in quite some fashion.
John Mousinho’s team have proved rather versatile already this season during inclement weather, and this was the case again.
There was very little between the two sides during the opening 20-minute exchanges. Fast-forward a further 10 minutes and Portsmouth were two goals ahead.
Josh Murphy’s fifth goal of the season and Pompey’s first of the afternoon is the by-product of a delicious Zak Swanson cross – Paddy Lane’s endeavour was rewarded just moments later, and the celebration attached demonstrated just how much that meant to him.
Nico Schmid was almost effortlessly equal to a handful of the away side’s opportunities and Pompey were home and ‘dry’ – but also soaked through, at half-time.
One of my criticisms with us, either home or away this season, is the way in which we’ve come back out and started the second half.
It will surprise no Pompey fan to hear that five of the 11 goals conceded so far at Fratton Park have come immediately after the break, between minutes 45 and 55.
This was different – as was the Coventry game. We came out, foot back on the pedal, remained stoic and relentless and got the all important third. A deserving Ryley Towler guiding Freddie Potts’ set-piece delivery home.
The fourth to cap off the perfect day came from a man whose return to the side has formed such a positive correlation with our uptick in form of late.
No one will ever know where Pompey would have been had Colby Bishop’s services been available to us from the first kick of a ball back in early August, but I’ve got a feeling we would be in a much healthier league position than we are now.
It was one of those days where it became almost impossible to choose just one salient performer. Take your pick from any of the aforementioned.
I’ll end with something a good friend of mine said to me as we left the ground.
We’ve beaten a decent and established Championship side in Swansea 4-0 at Fratton Park in difficult conditions, with four different goalscorers. Bad teams don’t do that.
