Portsmouth hopeful of another cup upset

Benjamin Williets
Breaking Views
Published in
2 min readJan 25, 2019
Portsmouth host QPR in the fourth round of the FA Cup

Portsmouth face Championship side QPR at Fratton Park on Saturday in the FA Cup fourth round.

After the dramatic last-minute winner away to Norwich in the last round of the FA Cup, Portsmouth were handed a home draw leaving supporters hopeful of another upset.

The 94th minute goal at Carrow Road was scored by Andre Green, who has since been recalled from his loan by parent club Aston Villa.

Green’s goal sent the away fans into delirium as Portsmouth reached the fourth round for the first time since 2016 when they lost 2–1 to Premier League outfit AFC Bournemouth.

Pompey fans will be confident of another cup upset as the 2008 winners host QPR who sit 14th in the Championship while Portsmouth sit top of League 1.

Portsmouth fan Katie Joell, 35, said: “The game gives (Kenny) Jackett a chance to see if he can find a system to overcome his midfield problems at least.

Kenny Jackett. Image: Wikimedia

“We have shown that defensively we can turn up, the question will be if we can score with a midfield stymied by a lack of creative prowess since the departure of Ben Thompson.”

Both teams, however, have lost their last two games so this is an opportunity to regain some form and push on in both the cup and their respective leagues.

“I think (a cup run) would be more important if we were not chasing promotion this season. It would be nice for us to face a top four team before we bow out though,” said Katie.

“Our season has been fantastic so far and we’ve broken club record books multiple times. Kenny has found some real gems from the non-league whose market value has gone up considerably against what we paid.

“Fratton will need to be extremely loud and vocal to give us an advantage — if we can create that intense atmosphere, we can win any game. My gut tells me we will lose, but my heart says we’ll win 2–1.”

A win could allow Portsmouth fans to dream of Wembley, but manager Kenny Jackett will be sure to keep everyone’s feet on the ground as Portsmouth will look to prioritise winning promotion to the Championship.

For build-up to the game visit Portsmouth FC and watch the dramatic win against Norwich below.

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