Football – England – League Two
Saturday 28th March 2015 – Kickoff: 1500hrs
Portsmouth return to Fratton Park for this afternoon’s clash with Shrewsbury Town as they look to bounce back from their disappointing 1-0 defeat away at AFC Wimbledon last weekend.
With just one win from their last six, it looks like Portsmouth will have to make do with a mid-table finish this season unless they can go on a late run of wins to be in with an outside chance of making the play-offs. That win came in a 2-0 victory over Luton Town at Fratton Park where they hold a pretty steady record overall of 10-5-4 31/18.
Pompey are unbeaten in their last six on home turf with recent wins against Hartlepool, Exeter, Tranmere and Luton although their poor run of four matches without a win (including three defeats) is still fresh in my mind.
Shrewsbury Town secured another valuable three points last Saturday when they beat Oxford United 2-0 at their Greenhous Meadow ground which followed on from their emphatic 4-1 win away at Morecambe in midweek.
The Shrews now sit in second place ahead of Wycombe Wanderers on goal difference, and both teams hold a useful four-point cushion over fourth placed Bury. Shrewsbury have registered four wins from their last six on their travels with wins at Newport County, Carlisle United, Accrington Stanley and Morecambe, while their two defeats were recorded at Tranmere Rovers and Wycombe Wanderers.
Shrewsbury’s away record stands at 7-4-8 20/19 but they’ve lost four in their last thirteen away matches which should give them a chance of at least a point at Portsmouth today.
Portsmouth have been in solid form in recent weeks at Fratton Park but I feel Shrewsbury have the greater equipped forward line to perhaps take the points here in a 2-1 win. That said, I’ll keep the draw on my side by backing Shrewsbury with the round ball.
Pick: Shrewsbury Town AH0 @ 1.63 Ladbrokes
