Kathcairns

Back home…
Excellent performance. Points from me:
- adventurous line up. Well done Warne.
- CBT, superb. Keep this up in the last four games and this is a new player for us.
- Adams, incredible force in the middle. If he had a passing range, well, he wouldn’t be in L1
- Ward - pleased for him. First goal super finish, second he got a good break 
- Wildsmith - having watched the goal back, does he have a weakness on long range shots (thinking Stevenage as well). He has to do better and stop that. I don’t think he’s as good as he or is think he is.
- The fans - we were incredible. Loud from the get go. Quieter second half as expected with their pressure.
There was a point in the first half though when just about all four stands were jumping around if you’re going up (or whatever the phrase is). It was awesome to see.
Portsmouth are good. It felt like a Championship quality game as well. 

Overall,  very satisfied as wasn’t expecting anything.

Don't know about anyone else, but I'm ecstatic.
Would have taken the draw before a ball was kicked,
If Bolton overtake us now, they will thoroughly deserve it - and good luck to em!  🐏🥂😍

A great game and a really good result.
Maybe we should all not reply to Bris and definitely not that ap thing. 
There are going to be lots of fans returning from the game, full of excitement or pride or disappointment, wondering why this matchday thread is not about the game. 

Ah yes, a solid point away from home this evening so of course you’ve rode in on your horse to be dismissive about yet another result for the club you allegedly support 🙄 
 
We created and scored 2 goals, they created and scored 2 goals. It was a draw, a deserved one. 

In the game I saw we scored 2 goals and created nothing else of note in 90 minutes.
Portsmouth on top of their 2 goals missed an open goal, had a 1v1 saved by Wildsmith's legs and the penalty incident at the end. Calling the above an even game and a fair draw is a bit of a stretch.

Over the whole season it all averages out, no time for VAR..people spending hours on tv debating it, does my head in.

Firstly, what an enjoyable game of football. Was a pleasure to see Derby as a part of that and matched a very good team at the top. Pompey will win this league, we can take confidence from our performance tonight into the last four matches.
My only gripe, with my derby bias, is that I felt they got a few favourable decisions in that 10-15 minutes before they scored which helped peg us back into our own half and made us get deeper and deeper. But also, we didn’t help ourselves and seemed less and less comfortable. You didn’t think with 30 mins to go we could defend like we were and hold out because we were loosing shape too often and not getting the ball into their half for any length of time. 
Aside that, I can’t tell you one player who I thought played poorly and Warne got his tactics spot on. I can’t put it simpler.
I’ve said a few times, one thing Warne has done really well this season is that every player has contributed to a key moment this season. Tonight was Joe Ward’s turn, he’s a big game player and he showed it tonight. Still think Blackett-Taylor may yet still get his before the season is out.
Thought it was Adams best game, another who thrives to the occasion. Smith is maybe our most underrated player.
Finally, four great goals. I don’t think we can analyse the ones we conceaded too much and neither can pompey with ours. Both sides have a bit of a weakness at full back and both sides were able to take advantage.
 

Great game of football from two teams who went for it! 
Great result and is one point closer to promotion. 

Find me someone who, at the start of the season, wouldn’t have accepted the scenario we’re now in and I I’ll find you a fool. 

Agreed. Having to rebuild a squad from scratch under heavy EFL restrictions? I'd say having a massive shot at automatic promotion at the end of season two is a very good job indeed by all at the club. 

100% want Pompey to stuff Bolton! Couldn't give a damn about finishing top.Its vital to get out of this league this season.

For anyone feeling negative I'd argue the following.
This is our second season following a significant meltdown off the pitch which resulted in obvious repercussions on it. We've consolidated and are now in a good position to return to the Championship. 
We have a sensible owner who genuinely loves the club and who has a desire to see the academy excel. He also isn't an egotistical and confrontational fool.
The squad we have will, I suspect, be subject to much change during the summer as the restrictions end. The style of play may well turn towards something a little easier on the eye as a result. It's all about getting out of this division and recruiting well before 24/25.

Good point in the end that. Got undone by a screamer which can happen.
But on another night they could score that open goal and get a penalty (if that was us, I'd want a penalty for what Wilson did) it definitely falls into the category of "I've seen them given" and I would agree with Curtis Davies in that if it's anywhere else on the pitch it's a foul. 
But we defended well, held our shape well and it was a good away performance.
Now we've got 8 days to rest. A luxury no other team is getting.
I think 3 wins will do the job now. That would mean Bolton need 4 wins and a draw from their last 5 games. Which I just cannot see them getting.
If we can go to Wycombe and get a result, it will take the pressure off slightly for the remaining 3 games. 
Hoping Bristol Rovers can do us a massive favour on Saturday, but they seem to be on the beach, so I'm not hopeful.
Another thing with the result today, it means that Pompey can go up with a win at Bolton. So they'll still have something to play for.
Maybe have Bird, Gayle and Barkhuizen back for Wycombe away too. Who hopefully will have a Wembley hangover.
We can do it.
Up The Rams!

We almost completely nulified them second half, only conceding to a wonderstrike after a handball. We restricted them to 2 shots on goal in the second half, their fewest all season. So I don't think that the second half tactics were that bad, if we'd pressed higher up the pitch, there would have been much more space for them to exploit, we may have lost the game.
I don't criticise the ref for the handball incident, but surely the linesman was in a perfect position to see it, even their player's reaction indicated that it hit his arm.

PG Wodehouse from the Directors box.
 
Ah, what a jolly spectacle unfolded at Fratton Park this evening! One simply cannot help but marvel at the peculiar charm of this island oasis amidst the tumultuous seas of English football. As the rain hammered down upon the pitch, making it a more suitable surface for Torvill and Dean, it seemed as if the very essence of sporting drama had been distilled into this quaint corner of Portsea Island. Picture, if you will, the gallant clash between two titans of the game, Derby and their valiant hosts, engaged in a battle of wits and skill upon the hallowed turf.
Twice did Derby gallantly surge ahead, their spirits buoyed by the promise of victory, only to be thwarted by the indomitable Moxon, whose strike left Collins and Thompson resembling naught but ethereal phantoms vanishing with the dawn. Oh, how the Rams’ keeper, Wildsmith, must have felt as though he were soaring through the skies like the legendary Superman, yet clutching in his grasp a shard of Kryptonite, his nerves as shaken as a dry Martini in the hands of a trembling barman.
Ward, with his brace of goals, appeared poised to secure the coveted three points for his side, yet in the grand scheme of things, it was Derby’s prowess without possession that truly shone. Admirable in their defensive fortitude, they emerged from the fray with a well-earned point, a veritable jewel in their crown that may yet prove pivotal in the grand reckoning of the season.
And let us not forget the luminous Adams, whose brilliance on the field knows no bounds. One can only imagine the splendour of his performance when fully nourished, like a fine vintage reaching its peak. And what of CBT, growing sharper with each passing game, his assist a thing of beauty akin to a sly fox evading the hounds, waved on by the benevolent hand of Sonny Bradley.
In the end, it is Warne, contented with his hard-earned point, who leads his bobble-hatted charges forth into the final four games with spirits soaring as high as the lofty spires of Fratton Park. Oh, what joyous tales these grounds do tell, where the drama of the beautiful game unfolds with all the wit and whimsy of a tale spun by the master raconteur himself.

Perhaps the pitch and conditions played a part in that? Plus our threadbare, injury affected squad. Did we have the fitness and legs to press them relentlessly, letting them have the ball with time seemed fairly effective, save for a tired/half-committed tackle and the subsequent wonder strike to equalise.
My only criticism of Warne tonight would be the timing of the subs, IF he’d taken Collins off for Washington earlier we could speculate that the ineffectiveness of the tackle from Collins is a non-event with a fresh legged Washington closing him down instead.
But that’s a theory. The reality is we got a good point at Portsmouth which puts us 4 points ahead of Bolton and 8 points ahead of Posh/Barnsley. Yes they’ve got games in hand but even if they win their respective games in hand we’re still ahead of them all. It’s in our hands, we’ve got 8 days to recover and prep for the next game. I’m still optimistic 🐏 

a tad frustrated that we lost a lead twice... but no way is a draw a bad result.  
A cracking first half as a spectacle, and an almost classic away holding job second half.  Nervy throughout, and kind of relieved in the end.
If I'd have read the script before kick off, and new the outcome, it would have got a massive thumbs up from me. We may not have strictly played for a draw, but that draw may be the point that takes us over the line.
A very, very good night.
Well done, Super Rams.
 

Why high press??
Just because Man City and Liverpool do it, does it mean everyone does? Our shape and discipline were outstanding. We were comfortable. They created nothing. There was no space, everything was in front. Just because they had 70 odd percent possession means nothing. We were not holding on. We were sitting deep, but they were getting frustrated. A wonder strike was the difference. A high press is what they would want, opening gaps to exploit. 

Few exciting options off bench compared to what they had so happy with that. Too emotionally invested but someone at work just messaged to say how much they enjoyed it especially compared to top of EPL this weekend!

Decent weeks break now hopefully get likes of Birdy Gayle Fozzy and Barky back

A mention to Sibley, a shaky first 10/15 but after that he did very well against one of the best wingers in the league. 

Now that we are promoted, I hope Clowes is searching for our next manager this summer to give us a chance of progression in the Championship.
I’d be looking at Mowbray’s situation once he recovers.

Makes you wonder why some folk seem to get so much enjoyment from bring a WUM. 
Perhaps a reflection of their sad lives.

Yes dont care about title just want to go up

Thing I liked most about that is none of the players looked phased by the occasion or atmosphere. Tough ground to go to and we come away with a point. Take that to Wycombe.