'Pompey are sleepwalking into a bit of trouble'

Everything felt a little bit undercooked at Fratton Park on Saturday. Pre-game build-up, a crowd largely unmoved throughout, performance on the pitch, and the ultimate result.

The majority of the afternoon was pretty bereft of action and rather dull. There were signs of energy from the beginning of the second half, during which we were the better side for the only period of the game following a very forgettable first 45.

We had a real lack of control, particularly in central areas. Defensively, we did not look assured at all, even putting the rather unfortunate own goal aside.

It was also one of those days where Pompey could have been playing until Christmas and still not have scored.

Perhaps a dreary 0-0 would've been a more befitting scoreline, but Pompey's at times apathetic showing certainly didn't look worthy of any more than a point at a push.

Josh Murphy's return is unbelievably welcome, he makes the team so much more offensively threatening and will in turn hopefully help put Colby Bishop's barren run in front of goal to an end.

Pompey need to properly turn up in Birmingham this weekend. Our start to the campaign at home is now worryingly poor, particularly given that Fratton Park provided a cornerstone to our survival last season.

There's also a bit of a restlessness within the fanbase that John Mousinho's side have seemingly abandoned the style in which we so brilliantly mastered our home form last year - where very few sides would come away with anything from PO4.

It is bizarre to say but right now it's probably a positive that we only have three home games between now and the start of December. It wasn't too long ago that you'd fancy us against anyone on home soil.

John Swift's late leveller at Leicester feels like quite some time ago.

The likes of Callum Lang, Nico Schmid, Conor Shaughnessy and now Adrian Segecic will all return in time, and there's no doubt in my mind regarding our divisional status for another season at the moment.

But, with an out-of-position Conor Chaplin, and an out-of-form Bishop, Pompey are slowly sleepwalking into a bit of trouble.

Find more from Tom at the Fournilwrittenalloverit, external YouTube channel