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Posh preview: spotlight on Portsmouth - 27/01/12
Portsmouth's Erik Huseklepp (left). Photo: PA Wire
Star man: STRIKER Erik Huseklepp experienced mixed emotions as Posh won 3-2 at Fratton Park earlier this season.
The Norwegian international’s fierce cross-shot was turned into his own net by Posh centre-back Gaby Zakuani to bring Pompey level in the first-half, but he was then most unfortunate to turn Ryan Tunnicliffe’s shot into his own net in the very last minute to gift Posh their first away win of the season.
Huseklepp has impressed the Fratton Park faithful since his arrival from Italian Serie A side Bari in the summer, although three goals is a poor return for a player of his quality.
Others to watch: FORMER Cambridge United, Reading and Stoke striker Dave Kitson is a more familiar face in the Pompey squad, but he also has found the net just three times for his latest club this season.
Portsmouth’s squad is the smallest in the Championship, but they have several players who have performed at Premier League level.
Nigerian forward Kanu, a star at Arsenal at his peakm remains at the club, while Zimbabwean Benjani is enjoying a second spell at Fratton Park after stints at Blackburn and Manchester City.
Kanu is 35 now and has managed just a solitary goal, while Benjani is 33 and scored his only goal of the season against Posh in September.
Israeli international central defender Tal Ben Haim is another Portsmouth player to have spent time in the top flight, in his case with Chelsea, Manchester City, Portsmouth and Sunderland.
Centre-back Jason Pearce was a Posh target in the summer after leading Bournemouth into the League One play-offs last season, but he preferred a move along the south coast.
City born midfielder David Norris is suspended tomorrow following a recent red card picked up during a defeat by West Ham.
Hayden Mullins and Liam Lawrence are two experienced midfielders who will help Pompey overcome that loss.
LINE UPS
Lewis
Little, Bennett, Zakuani, Alcock.
Tunnicliffe, McCann, Rowe
Tomlin, Taylor, Boyd
Henderson
Ben Haim, Halford, Pearce, Ward
Lawrence, Mullins, Etuhu, Huseklepp
Kitson, Futacs
REFEREE
In his last 55 appearances, tomorrow’s referee David Webb has failed to issue at least one yellow card just twice.
Webb refereed Posh twice last season, the 2-1 Carling Cup win over Cardiff at London Road and the 3-2 defeat at Charlton in League,
In his 25 outings this season he has shown 78 yellow cards and five red ones.
OTHER FIXTURES
(Saturday)
Reading v Bristol C X
(Tuesday)
Barnsley v Derby X
Blackpool v Coventry 1
Crystal P v Brighton 2
Hull v Doncaster 1
Ipswich v West Ham 2
Leeds v Birmingham 2
Millwall v Watford 1
N Forest v Burnley X
Southampton v Cardiff X
(Wednesday)
Leicester v Middlesbrough 1
CRYSTAL BALL
Blackpool to beat Coventry
In-form Blackpool are tough to beat at home
West Ham to win at Ipswich
The best team in the division against one of the worst
Leicester to beat Middlesbrough
I’m still expecting Leicester to go on a second-half-of-the-season surge.
The odds for Tuesday’s matches will be available from Ladbrokes from Sunday onwards.
LAST week the ET tipping team’s treble came in again as Blackpool beat Crystal Palace (8/11), West Ham beat Nottingham Forest (8/13) and Birmingham beat Watford (8/11).
Our profit for the season is now £179.20. This week’s suggested bet is three £5 win singles and a £5 win treble.
LINK MAN
STRIKER Guy Whittingham was a prolific goalscorer in his Portsmouth days.
The former soldier earned the nickname ‘Corporal Punishment’ for his ability to convert most of the opportunities that came his way.
Pompey signed him from Yeovil in 1988 and he bagged close to 100 goals at more than a goal every other game for the club in a five-year spell. He scored a club record 42 in 46 Division One games in the 1992-93 season.
That form earned him a milion pound move to top flight Aston Villa where he found goals much harder to come by and after a short, unsuccessful stay at Villa Park he moved onto Sheffield Wednesdat before returning to Fratton Park in 1999.
His form had dipped by then though and he turned up at Posh on loan in August 2000 as cover for injury victim Jason Lee.
Whittingham scored on his Posh debut after coming on as a substitute in a 4-1 win at Oldham, but it was soon clear that the 35 year-old was past his best and he was sent back to Portsmouth after just four appearances for Barry Fry’s side.
Whittingham will be at London Road tomorrow as he’s Portmouth’s first-team coach.
PAST POSH v PORTSMOUTH (League only)
(Overall)
P6 W1 D4 L1 F7 A6
(First time)
Dec 2, 1961
Posh 0, Portsmouth 1
Division Three
Pompey won at London Road on their way to the Third Division title.
Posh: Walls, Whittaker, Walker, Rayner, Hopkins, Ripley, Hails, Smith, Hudson, Dunne, Senior.
(Last time)
October 9, 1993
Posh 2, Portsmouth 2
Division One
Tony Adcock claimed a second-half equaliser for Posh. John McGlashan had opened the scoring in the first-half before John McLaughlin and Paul Walsh, with a classy chip, saw Portsmouth to a 2-1 half-time lead.
Posh: Bennett, McDonald, Welsh, Bradshaw, Howarth, Peters, Hackett, Brissett, McGlashan, Adcock, Philliskirk. Sub used: Iorfa.
STAT ATTACK
POSH have used just 23 players in the Championship this season, the fewest in the division.
Doncaster and Crystal Palace have both used 37 players, which is six more than any other team.
CURRENT FORM
POMPEY have lost their last three competitive fixtures. They have won just one away match in the Championship all season, at Burnley in December.
Last five games
v Cardiff (a) L2-3 (Ch)
v West Ham (h) L0-1 (Ch)
v Chelsea (a) L0-4 (FAC)
v Watford (h) W2-0 (Ch)
v Leicester (a) D1-1 (Ch)
Key: Ch=Championship, FAC=FA Cup.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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Comments
There are 6 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
Leo87
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 05:24 PM@5 or yours lol were getting as bad as swanny lol
feduppete
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 04:26 PMDon't you half spellcheckers on any of your pcs lol
Leo87
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 02:34 PMhahaha my spelling in that last post was appalling lol
Leo87
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 02:33 PM@2 it does beg the question what kind of training programs we put our goal keepers through? I mean must keepers can last an entire season at other clubs!!! lol on a serious note it must suck to be Jones I hope he extends his contract at the club but I wouldn't blame hime if he didn't.
Growler
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 01:24 PM@1 yes, I agree, must account for why he's planted to his line, too tired to move about, perhaps Jones who was tired hasn't had a long enough rest!!
Leo87
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 10:25 AMWhat I dont uderstand is how can Fergy keep play Lewis when he looks soo tired!!!!!
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