Portsmouth: What does it mean to be unbeaten through 25 matches in League One?
- Published
This is the longest unbeaten start to a league season Portsmouth have managed since the end of WWII
English football's 3rd tier became a national division back in 1958.
How many sides have gone through an entire season unbeaten? Zero. If you think I'm going to argue that Portsmouth can be the first, you've clicked on the wrong article. There's too much variance, parity and too many fixtures for that feat to be realistically possible. Plymouth, Ipswich and Sheffield Wednesday were outstanding last season but even they lost seven, four and six times respectively over the campaign.
But it has been a start to the season to have statistically minded fans flicking through their record books. Portsmouth are still unbeaten after 14 matches. That's impressive but was last done only six years ago by Shrewsbury Town (if you knew the answer to that trivia question your knowledge is better than most). They first tasted defeat in their 16th match on their way to a heart-breaking play-off final defeat to Rotherham.
This is the longest unbeaten start to a league season Portsmouth have managed since the end of the Second World War. Eclipsing the 13 they managed on the way to becoming English champions for the first time in 1948-49. This unbeaten run didn't start in the summer though, it began on 14th March and now stretches to 25 matches. When you consider the club's previous record was 15 it highlights how incredible it is. It's likely to be decades before we see another league unbeaten run this long.
However points wise its not even Pompey's best start since they returned to League One. They had 33 points after 14 matches in 2018 and we all know how that season ended.
You need a bit of fortune to be unbeaten for this long. Portsmouth have had two injury time equalisers already this season but being hard to beat is not a statistical quirk. Pompey have conceded just 8 goals in 14 League One matches, that's four fewer than anyone else. Performances will go up and down and personnel will change from time-to-time but John Mousinho's side look extremely solid at the back, every week.
Even when they have not been at their best this season they've largely dominated possession and severely restricted chances. I don't think anyone expected Regan Poole and Connor Shaughnessy to be the first choice centre back pairing but they've been outstanding individually and collectively. Goalkeeper Will Norris looks a shrewd pickup.
'90 points would be enough'
Regan Poole (left) scores Portsmouth's second goal during their League One match against Lincoln City at Fratton Park
One record that slipped out of Pompey's grasp for the time being is consecutive wins. Portsmouth have never won 10 games in a row in all competitions in their 125 year history. The nil-nil draw with Cambridge ended the streak at seven. Kenny Jackett had runs of eight wins and nine wins (the club record) during his spell in charge.
Scoring just once in matches against Carlisle and Cambridge concerned some supporters submitting questions for this weeks Moon's Musings. Portsmouth are not "free scoring" but 22 is the 4th best total in League One at this stage. Colby Bishop has missed a few chances in the past couple of matches. That is not something anyone would expect to continue given his record and performance level since joining the club.
If you extrapolate Portsmouth's start to the season over the 46 match season they would end with 105 points, scoring 72 and conceding 26. You'd walk League One with that record. In reality 90 points would be enough for promotion. That's probably the only record anyone would remember.
You can hear every Pompey match live on BBC Radio Solent with Andy Moon and former Blues striker and manager Guy Whittingham.
