A desperately poor game:

Yesterday’s match was probably the worst we’ll see at the Britannia Stadium this season. I certainly hope we won’t have to sit through a ninety minutes that bad again. High winds and driving rain made good play difficult, but that’s no excuse for the professional players on the pitch, who at times, particularly during the dismal first half, were unable to string two passes together.

But one we’re delighted to win:

If a team is to achieve well over the course of a season, they have to pick up results when they’re not at their best, and when the game isn’t open and full of chances. We did that yesterday, and after our recent shaky performances against Wolves and Hull any kind of win is more than welcome to steady the ship. At the end of the day, three points is three points, and I’ll take it gladly however it comes. Hopefully we’ll pick up plenty more victories this year, and hopefully they’ll all come in rather less ugly fashion.

Wil he play him? He has to:

In the absence of the suspended Abdoulaye Faye yesterday, Andy Wilkinson came into the Stoke side at right back and played phenomenally well. He was defensively very assured, and always threatened getting forward, which he did often, as a true full back should. He even had the whole crowd on its feet applauding when he almost netted what would surely have been the goal of the season late on, when he won a tackle in his own half, and surged the full length of the pitch before firing a powerful shot marginally over the crossbar. Faye returns for our next game, away at Blackburn, and Stoke manager Tony Pulis faces a difficult defensive choice. For me, there’s no way he can leave Wilkinson out of the side on the back of a performance like that. However, with Robert Huth, Faye, Ryan Shawcross and Danny Collins usually settled as his back four, something’s got to give. I only hope it’s not Wilkinson.

The glass looks a little Fuller:

Ricardo Fuller has been our top scorer in each of the last three seasons, and prior to the start of this campaign had struck 37 times in 109 appearances for Stoke. In short, we’re used to seeing him find the net frequently. His poor form in front of goal at the start of this season was therefore surprising. His winner yesterday was his first league strike, his only other goal coming in the League Cup against Blackpool in September. it was good therefore to see him find the net, particularly with such a fine turn and finish. Hopefully this goal will provide the foundations for him to push on and find double figures again.

A Law unto himself:

When Liam Lawrence was introduced on the right wing after an hour yesterday, our game immediately picked up. He was at the thick of most of our positive play, and his control, passing and delivery was a class above anything we had seen earlier. The question has to be asked, therefore, why isn’t he starting matches? He is one of the few players in our squad that has the composure and ability to unlock stubborn teams like Portsmouth, but continuously Rory Delap, who’s not a natural winger, is preferred to him. Stoke fans rave about Tuncay not being given a fair chance, but for me, Lawrence’s exclusion from recent starting elevens is far more worrying, as he is a proven Premier League quality player who time and time again produces the goods for us.

The opposition:

Portsmouth sit rock bottom of the Premier League table, and many people fancy them to go down. It’s not hard to see why. They severely lack cutting edge in their side; one striker, Kanu, was ineffective, while the other, Aruna Dindane, was profligate. Kevin-Prince Boateng wasted the best chance of all, taking a dreadful penalty that Thomas Sorensen could easily save. If they are to avoid the drop, manager Paul Hart will have to pull a goalscorer from somewhere in January.

Player Ratings:

Thomas Sorensen (gk): Sorensen had a generally solid afternoon, and helped our cause greatly with his penalty save. He flapped at one or two crosses, but with high winds in the stadium that’s understandable. 7

Andy Wilkinson (rb): Wilkinson was superb, without doubt the man of the match. He was defensively perfect, winning everything in the air and judging when to make a tackle and when to stand his ground well. It’s just a pity he couldn’t crown it by burying what would have been a special goal. 9

Ryan Shawcross (cb): Though he was rarely bothered by Portsmouth’s blunt forward line, Shawcross had a solid game and will be pleased to be part of the defence that kept a clean sheet, particularly as he was acting captain in Faye’s absence. 7

Robert Huth (cb):Much like Shawcross, Huth was far from spectacular in his preferred central defensive role, but achieved his primary objective of keeping Portsmouth out. 7

Danny Collins (lb): Collins had a largely quiet game, but did little wrong defensively. 6

Rory Delap (rm): Delap rarely looks his best out on the wing, and didn’t yesterday, as he struggled to make an impact on the game. His clumsy challenge for the penalty could have cost us; he was lucky that Sorensen bailed him out. 5

Dean Whitehead (cm): Whitehead was his typical unspectacular, plodding self, but did do well in the build up to the goal. 6

Salif Diao (cm):On his return from injury, Diao was largely quiet. He should be commended for avoiding getting booked for the first time this season though. 6

Matthew Etherington (lm): On the back of his recent good form, Etherington had a slightly disappointing game. He does now seem to have the confidence to run with the ball though, and will be pleased to notch up another assist. 6

James Beattie (cf): As a former Southampton favourite, Beattie is usually at his best against the Saints’ arch-rivals Pompey. That wasn’t the case as he did very little before being substituted. 4

Ricardo Fuller (cf): Fuller didn’t have his best game; he seems to have lost some of the pace that made him so difficult to play against in the past. He took his goal very well though. 6

Liam Lawrence (sub rm): Lawrence lifted our side when he came on, and always looked likely to make something happen. 7

Mamady Sidibe (sub cf): Sidibe still lacks match sharpness after seven months on the sidelines, and played a moderately effective cameo role. 6

Tuncay (cf): Tuncay had just five minutes on the pitch, and had little time to make an impression. 6

A fair result would have been:

Stoke City 2-1 Portsmouth – I think we did enough to win, but really you’d expect Pompey to have scored their penalty, while in an ideal world, Wilkinson’s attempted wonderstrike would have found the top corner.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!