Football – England – League Two
Saturday 3rd May 2014 – Kickoff: 1500hrs
Mid-table Portsmouth (yes, you heard correct), take on Plymouth Argyle at Fratton Park on Saturday afternoon as caretaker-manager Andy Awford chases a sixth win from seven matches which could see his side leap-frog today’s opponents into 9th place.
Awford replaced former manager Richie Barker following a 0-3 away defeat at Rotherham United which became the last straw for the board who, along with the faithful fans, were getting mighty nervous about Pompey’s increasing relegation worries, but former Portsmouth player Awford has not only steadied the ship but has racked up five straight wins which has lifted the gloom at Fratton Park and ensured their League Two safety.
Wins over Newport County, Hartlepool United, Dagenham & Redbridge, Bristol Rovers and Northampton Town shouldn’t be underestimated given Portsmouth’s plight at the time of playing these teams, and they can now relax with a final home match with an overall home record of 9-5-8 23/22 going into today’s game.
Plymouth Argyle have hovered just on the fringes of the play-offs for quite a few weeks now but without really making any impact due to their inconsistent performances which ultimately cost them. In fact, Plymouth have won just once from their last eight matches which was a 2-1 win at Newport County, but five defeats during this period put paid to any slim hopes of a play-off place.
Away from home, The Pilgrims have recorded just two wins from their last six with a 1-0 win at second from bottom Wycombe Wanderers together with the Newport result, but an overall away record of 8-4-10 25/29 smacks of their inconsistent nature and I’m not confident they’ll get much from Portsmouth this afternoon.
Incidentally, last time out, Plymouth suffered a 0-4 heavy defeat away at Bury who are level on points with Portsmouth and it looks like Plymouth are on the way down whilst their hosts appear to finally be on the up.
It’s been a dramatic turnaround of form for Portsmouth with Awford doing an amazing job of keeping his side in league football, and this renewed confidence and momentum should not be underestimated as I’ve mentioned; I’ll therefore back the hosts for one final win of a season to forget, Portsmouth to win perhaps 2-1.
Pick: Portsmouth straight win @ 2.20 Pinnacle
