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DATE:
Saturday 17th December 2005
MATCH PREVIEW BY: Martyn Todd
With a 2-0 victory against a tough Manchester City side last
weekend Albion kept their recent good run going but the question is ‘when
will it end?’ because we all know it will sooner rather then later. With the
returning Harry Redknapp sure to give Portsmouth a lift Albion
couldn’t have picked a worse time to visit
Fratton Park.
Bryan Robson has no major injury
worries going into the trip to
Fratton Park and is likely to stick with the same side that beat
Manchester City although after handing in a
transfer request this week, it’ll be interesting to see if wantaway striker
Rob Earnshaw will feature in the squad.
If they are to pick up three points, Albion must register
back to back Premiership wins for the first time this season, they must also
record their first ever Premiership double. The Baggies historically have an
excellent record against
Portsmouth and have won six out of the last
seven meetings between the two clubs although Albion fans will need no
reminding of the last game between the two sides at Fratton Park - Albion
sinking to a 3-2 defeat after succumbing to two goals in the last five
minutes.
This week, Kyle Fisher
predicts a 2-1 victory to the Baggies - Fingers
crossed he gets it right! COME ON YOU BAGGIES!!! ALBION Steve Watson faces
a late fitness test on his hamstring injury and Zoltan Gera is not yet
match fit following his hernia operation but otherwise Baggies' boss Bryan
Robson has a fully fit squad to choose from and looks set to keep faith
with the team that beat Manchester City last week. Possible Line-up:
Kuszczak,
Watson, Clement, Davies, Robinson, Greening, Wallwork, Inamoto, Kamara,
Kanu, Ellington. PORTSMOUTH Keeper Jamie Ashdown is a doubt for
Pompey with ex-Liverpool keeper Sander Westerveld standing by to replace
him. Salif Diao is definitely out with a hamstring injury. Possible Line-up:
Ashdown, Primus,
O'Brien, Stefanovic, Griffin, O'Neil, Viafara, Hughes, Taylor, Pericard,
LuaLua.
THIS SEASON
Portsmouth
currently lie in 19th place in the Barclays Premiership with 10 points
from 15 games. Lomana LuaLua and Matthew Taylor are the club's leading scorers with three league
and cup goals each. The club were knocked out of
the Carling Cup in the second round by League One side Gillingham. Pompey
have lost their last five league games with their latest defeat coming
against Spurs at White Hart Lane last Monday night. LAST SEASON
Pompey finished 16th in the
Barclays Premiership, were knocked out of the FA
Cup in the 4th round by
Southampton and were beaten in the 5th round
of the Carling Cup by Watford. Aiyegbeni Yakubu was
the club's top goalscorer with 17 goals. ONES TO WATCH
Lomana Tresor LuaLua -
Fast and skilful striker with a decent goalscoring
record. Possesses one of the best celebrations in football.
Laurent Robert - Classy but unpredictable
winger. An excellent crosser of the ball and
deadly from set-pieces. Svetoslav Todorov
- Strong and powerful striker, hoping to get back on the goal trail after a
couple of injury-hit seasons.
Albion's first competitive
game against Portsmouth came in a FA Cup 5th round tie at Fratton Park in
February 1931. W.G. Richardson scored the only goal of the game as
Albion ran out 1-0 winners. Albion first met Portsmouth
in league action during the 1931/32 season. The first league game between
the two sides came in September at Fratton Park with Albion running out 1-0
winners thanks to a Tommy Glidden penalty. The return game at The Hawthorns
in February saw Albion complete the double over the South Coast club with a
3-0 victory. Albion's best league win
against Portsmouth came in 1958 at Fratton Park when goals from Ronnie
Allen, David Burnside, Derek Kevan and an own goal saw Albion run out 6-2
winners. Albion have also recorded a 5-0 victory over Portsmouth on three
occasions, 1950, 1951 and 2002. Portsmouth's biggest win
against the Baggies came in December 1954 when they recorded a 6-1 victory
at Fratton Park. Other big wins for Pompey over the years include 5-3 in
1937 and 4-0 in 1996.
Twice in eleven years Albion have won last day games
against Portsmouth to avoid relegation. In 1994 a Lee Ashcroft goal ensured
a 1-0 victory for Albion at Fratton Park which doomed local rivals
Birmingham City to relegation to League Division Two whilst a 2-0 victory at
The Hawthorns in May 2005 saw Albion stave off relegation from the
Premiership despite being bottom of the table before kick-off. Albion
have an excellent record against Portsmouth and have won six out of the last
seven meetings between the two clubs.
Portsmouth 3-2 Albion
Portsmouth:
Ashdown, Griffin, Stefanovic, De Zeeuw, Unsworth (Primus 26), Stone, Quashie
(Berkovic 80), Faye, Taylor (LuaLua 55), Berger, Fuller.
Subs not used: Hislop (gk),
Cisse Goalscorers: Purse 35 (own goal), De Zeeuw 85,
Lua Lua 89 Albion: Hoult, Scimeca, Purse, Moore, Clement,
Haas (Gaardsoe 66), Johnson, Greening,
Gera (Sakiri
70), Kanu, Earnshaw (Hulse 77). Subs
not used: Kuszczak (gk), Koumas Goalscorers: Stefanovic 14 (own goal), Earnshaw
45 Referee:
Peter Walton (Northamptonshire)
Assistant Referees:
Andy Martin
(Staffordshire), Mike Cairns (Northamptonshire)
Half-Time:
Portsmouth 1-2 Albion
Attendance: 20,110 Sky Sports Match Report: Portsmouth netted two goals in the final five minutes to record a hard fought 3-2 victory over West Brom at Fratton Park. Goals from Arjan De Zeeuw and Tresor Lomana Lua Lua saw Portsmouth take maximum spoils from a contest that had looked to have earned Bryan Robson his first win since his Hawthorns homecoming. From the onset there was a nervous energy that seemed to engulf all involved, which made for football characterized by endeavour but little style. In midweek, Portsmouth slumped to a miserable Carling Cup exit to Watford and in the early stages, Harry Redknapp's resignation did its best to subdue Fratton Park's chimes. West Brom were resilient in the tackle and in Jonathan Greening and Andy Johnson had a midfield pairing willing to snap at the normally influential Patrick Berger. It was Greening that conjured the first opportunity of the contest when he fired wide, before Portsmouth were left to look pleadingly at the referee, after Matthew Taylor claimed he was felled in The Baggies' box. With play waved on, a marauding David Unsworth picked up possession from the resulting scramble and rifled a thunderous strike that needed a desperate block to prevent an opener. The game always looked likely to be decided on who made the fewest mistakes and predictably, the first duly arrived on 15 minutes, to put West Brom in the ascendancy. Credit must go to Neil Clement, who impressed with runs on the overlap all afternoon, when he stormed down the left with an intent for goal. Lashing the ball across the Portsmouth six yard box, Dejan Stefanovic intervened at the near post and inadvertently diverted the ball past Jamie Ashdown. Portsmouth's response will have encouraged Velimir Zajec, who dictated from the dugout, as the home side fought manfully to find a leveller. David Unsworth, later replaced with an injury, was close to registering with a glorious effort but his looping volley struck the top of Russell Hoult's bar and bounced over. Another left-back - it was that kind of game - Clement, could have doubled West Brom's advantage but fired at the feet of Ashdown before Purse practiced the art of own goals but with no end product, as he narrowly headed past the post of Hoult's goal. Within minutes and the dominating defender had clearly perfected the art when he stuck out a boot to divert Stefanovic's cross past his own goalkeeper, at the near post. An animated Robson on the touchline saw his misery compounded by the fact minutes earlier, the lively Robert Earnshaw had bent a clever effort just past the post. On the stroke of half time and the diminutive Welshman had restored the visitor's advantage, when he capitalised on a monumental piece of misunderstanding between Taylor and Ashdown. Either looked capable of clearing but it was Ricardo Scimeca that stole possession, to role the path into the path of Earnshaw, who duly dispatched with the simplest of finishes. The second period revolved around a pattern of Portsmouth pressure and West Brom counter attacks but it was always the home side that looked the more likely to find a breakthrough. Still, it was Earnshaw that first went close when after a sharp turn made space, he fired over, before Amdy Faye looked destined to find a leveller until Johnson's crucial intervention. Andy Griffin's darting run then took him beyond the West Brom backline but after rounding Hoult, his cross-shot hit Purse in the face and it looked as though pressure would not yield to a leveller. Zajec called Eyal Berkovic from the bench and it was the veteran playmaker that transformed Portsmouth's fortunes, as they recorded their second successive league win since Redknapp's resignation. With five minutes left on the clock his perfectly flighted free-kick found the head of Arjen De Zeeuw and for the second week running, Pompey's captain nodded home a crucial goal. Berkovic had not finished and in the final minute, his vision exposed a static West Brom defence to play in Lua Lua - who lashed home with aplomb for the most unlikely of winners. CURRENT CONNECTIONS Diomansy Kamara joined Portsmouth from Italian side Modena in August 2004 before moving to The Hawthorns a year later. Goalkeeper Russell Hoult moved from Fratton Park to Albion in January 2001 whilst Darren Moore joined Albion from the South Coast club in September of the same year. Brett Angell, who had a spell on loan at The Hawthorns in 1996 is now the youth team coach at Pompey. PAST CONNECTIONS Amongst the players to have turned out at various levels for both clubs are: Brett Angell, Kevin Bartlett, Jeroen Boere, Ike Clarke, Ian Collard, Ray Crawford, Gerry Creaney, Reg Cutler, Tony Dobson, John Durnin, Kenny Foggo, Paul Hall, Graeme Hogg, Alan Miller, Andy Petterson, Ray Potter, Kenny Swain, Clive Whitehead and Bill Williams. Former Albion manager Ron Saunders spent six years as a Portsmouth player; Ex-Albion assistant boss Frank Burrows coached and managed Portsmouth; Former Albion player Freddie Cox managed Portsmouth from 1958-61. ALL-TIME LEAGUE & CUP RECORD VS PORTSMOUTH
LAST TEN MATCHES AGAINST PORTSMOUTH
Tickets for Albion fans are now sold out. |
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Moore 43 (foul), Hoult 73 (timewasting)