Set-piece goal gives Pompey first victory in 4

Kenny Jackett’s side pulled off a 1 – 0 victory against a mid-table Lincoln City side at Fratton Park.

Ross McCrorie stepping into the starting lineup in place of right-back James Bolton was the only change from Pompey’s 1 – 0 loss to Wimbledon last weekend.

The Blue Army started the game off strong, with a lot of high pressing for much of the first 20 minutes of the game. Aussie winger Ryan Williams got off to a strong start and was given the opportunity to take 2 shots inside the first 3 minutes, both however saved by Lincoln keeper Josh Vickers.

Lincoln City’s plans to play out from the back were tarnished several times by Williams and Evans holding a very high line and putting pressure on the Imps’ back four.

The first and only goal of the game came after a Gareth Evans free kick was whipped into the far post, where Christian Burgess was able to get a strong header away at goal. The first attempt from the Pompey centre-half was parried away by Vickers, however only to land at the feet of summer-signing John Marquis, who netted in a tap in to give Portsmouth the hopes of their first League 1 victory in 4 games.

Mid-way through the second half, the Lincoln City team, along with their 200 travelling away fans appealed for a potential penalty shout for a foul by Sean Raggett on John Akinde however, referee Tom Nield had no intention of pointing to the spot.

In the 68th minute, Ronan Curtis replaced Marcus Harness on the left side. The Republic of Ireland winger brought a spell of positive and attacking energy that was lacking from Harness throughout the game. Several forward runs were exchanged between Curtis and Williams on both wings, nevertheless, none came to fruition to give Pompey a two-goal cushion.

Blues’ skipper Tom Naylor was voted the Man-of-the-Match at Fratton Park in front of the 17,266 attendance crowd.

Overall, a satisfying performance, with Ryan Williams stepping in as the key man to offer the most energy and positivity going forward.

Portsmouth’s next game is against Bristol Rovers on October 26th, who currently sit in 10th place in the league, but having lost their previous two games.

The fans will be hoping that Kenny Jackett’s side are able to use this positive result to get back to winning ways and see off the remainder of the month in a positive manner.

Twelve games in and Portsmouth sit in 16th in the table with 4 wins, 4 draws and 4 losses, but having up to 3 games-in-hand on some of the other teams in the League 1 table.

Full time score: Portsmouth 1 – 0 Lincoln City