Portsmouth

Portsmouth will look to make it back to back wins for the first time this season as they make the trip to the Stadium of Light on Sunday (15:00 GMT).

Pompey began the calendar year with an emphatic 4-0 win over Swansea that saw them climb out of the bottom three.

Sunderland also claimed a big victory over promotion rivals Sheffield United on New Year's Day to move within two points of an automatic promotion spot and five points shy of league leaders Leeds United.

The Black Cats eased to a 3-1 victory in the reverse fixture in August, though they are only one of two sides in the top five to take all three points over the visitors this season (D3).

• Sunderland have won three of their last four league meetings with Portsmouth (L1) and could complete a league double over Pompey for the first time since the 1997-98 campaign.

• Portsmouth have only won one of their last six away games against Sunderland (D2 L3 - including the playoffs), winning 3-1 in October 2020 in League One.

• Sunderland will begin a calendar year with back-to-back home league games for the first time since 2017, when they drew 2-2 with Liverpool and lost 3-1 to Stoke at the Stadium of Light in the Premier League.

• Portsmouth have lost each of their last three away league games, last losing four on the bounce on the road in November 2014 in League Two.

• The away side has won three of the last seven league meetings in the Football League between a team from Tyne and Wear and a side from Hampshire (L4), as many as across the 17 fixtures prior (D4 L10).

Image source, Rex Features

Portsmouth travel to promotion-chasing Sunderland on Sunday afternoon looking to follow-up their impressive 4-0 win at home to Swansea City with another positive result.

Manager John Mousinho spoke to BBC Radio Solent before the game. Here are the main takeaways.

• Mousinho said he was "really pleased" with Pompey's "excellent performance" against Swansea. "We took our chances. We didn't have a boatload of possession but when we did, we were effective. As an overall bounce back from the Bristol City game, that showed a really good mentality."

• Freddie Potts put in his "best performance of the season so far", according to Mousinho. He said: "I was really impressed. Freddie just picked up everything, won all his second balls, won his battles, and then showed a lot of quality. He showed a lot of composure, calmness and athleticism. The challenge for Freddie is to stick with that and stay consistent."

• Zak Swanson has done "very well since he's come back in", according to the Pompey boss. "Zak has taken his opportunity and certainly yesterday I think he was really impressive. There is still plenty of progression in Zak's game - I think that's the most promising thing."

• On the importance of every player chipping in with goals: "I think we've got to make sure we don't have a reliance on one goalscorer. That's probably been Colby [Bishop] for the majority of my time here. Yesterday was really pleasing from that point of view, particularly to get a goal from one of the centre-halves [Ryley Towler]."

• On transfers in January: "No news. We're moving on all of the targets we've looked at as quickly as we possibly can. It's still very early on. There's plenty going on behind the scenes."

• On facing Sunderland: "They've been one of the best sides in the league all year. Really, really impressive."

• Mousinho added: "The pressure is on Sunderland to try and win the game. I think we go with a bit of freedom and really try and upset the apple cart."

Listen to John Mousinho's pre-match press conference on BBC Sounds.

Tom Chappell
Fan writer from Fournilwrittenalloverit

Image source, Rex Features

The pure and unadulterated 4-0 win over Swansea City kicked off Pompey's 2025 in quite some fashion.

John Mousinho's team have proved rather versatile already this season during inclement weather, and this was the case again.

There was very little between the two sides during the opening 20-minute exchanges. Fast-forward a further 10 minutes and Portsmouth were two goals ahead.

Josh Murphy's fifth goal of the season and Pompey's first of the afternoon is the by-product of a delicious Zak Swanson cross - Paddy Lane's endeavour was rewarded just moments later, and the celebration attached demonstrated just how much that meant to him.

Nico Schmid was almost effortlessly equal to a handful of the away side's opportunities and Pompey were home and 'dry' - but also soaked through, at half-time.

One of my criticisms with us, either home or away this season, is the way in which we've come back out and started the second half.

It will surprise no Pompey fan to hear that five of the 11 goals conceded so far at Fratton Park have come immediately after the break, between minutes 45 and 55.

This was different - as was the Coventry game. We came out, foot back on the pedal, remained stoic and relentless and got the all important third. A deserving Ryley Towler guiding Freddie Potts' set-piece delivery home.

The fourth to cap off the perfect day came from a man whose return to the side has formed such a positive correlation with our uptick in form of late.

No one will ever know where Pompey would have been had Colby Bishop's services been available to us from the first kick of a ball back in early August, but I've got a feeling we would be in a much healthier league position than we are now.

It was one of those days where it became almost impossible to choose just one salient performer. Take your pick from any of the aforementioned.

I'll end with something a good friend of mine said to me as we left the ground.

We've beaten a decent and established Championship side in Swansea 4-0 at Fratton Park in difficult conditions, with four different goalscorers. Bad teams don't do that.

Andrew Moon
BBC Radio Solent's Portsmouth commentator

Five games, 13 points and 14 goals. The current run at home has given Portsmouth hope of Championship survival.

A number of clubs have stopped playing out from the back against Portsmouth given how good their press is, but Swansea don't know any other way.

Three of the four goals came from conceding possession in their own half. The wet conditions didn't help them either.

It is a brilliant win but Portsmouth had to ride out some tricky moments, most notably at the start of the second half when a Swansea goal would have changed the complexion of the match.

In my view this win vindicates the decision to rest Lang, Potts and Murphy at Bristol City.

The home form is brilliant, Pompey need to find a way of performing somewhere near this level away from Fratton Park.

Tom Chappell
Fan writer from Fournilwrittenalloverit

Image source, Rex Features

Debatable refereeing decisions and Fortnite dancing were two natural headline grabbers on Boxing Day, yet for me there was an undercurrent of pride following what I would describe as an unjust defeat at Watford.

The same cannot be said about the Pompey display just three days later at Ashton Gate.

It was a day to file under the scarily growing list of woefully bad Pompey showings away from home this season - Stoke, Cardiff, Derby and then Sunday's abject performance.

The most damning indictment of John Mousinho's team is that Bristol City were stronger, quicker and wanted it more in absolutely every department.

A concerning lack of effort and application all over the pitch clear for all to see - prompting a frustration fuelled response from the many in the away end.

It's seemingly a zeitgeist of Pompey's Championship campaign so far this year - a heavy and labouring schedule easily unsticks us by the time the third game of the week arrives.

We saw it away at Pride Park, and we saw it on Sunday.

The cycle looks a little bit like this - Pompey put in a response of a performance, usually at home, which looks emphatic, well deserved and accomplished.

It instills some faith in supporters and provides a basis of confidence for the group.

Then game two is slightly off the boil, but typically encouraging and attached to a decent result, Watford is a bit of an outlier, I felt we were value for a point at the very least.

Game three then exposes our weaknesses in the most unadulterated way, alongside a result that is really rather flattering.

The Ashton Gate 3-0 reverse could easily have been six if it was not for the assistant's occasional flag and a handful of remarkable Schmid preventions.

What I've described is a vicious cycle that Pompey seemingly have little in the way of an alternative offering right now.

Luckily our home form is good and I fully expect a response on Wednesday against Swansea - the window also opens at a really good time for us, as there is currently very little beyond Mousinho's starting XI which looks capable of accomplishing Championship survival.

Yet - the optimist in me is hopeful, Pompey are not cut adrift at the bottom of the division, and the players have proved countless times that they are a group capable of operating at this level.

2024 has been an excellent year for this football club - and if you had told any Pompey fan that we would be in this position 364 days ago, believe me, we would have all taken it.

Andrew Moon
BBC Radio Solent's Portsmouth commentator

Image source, Rex Features

John Mousinho was always likely to need to rotate his squad at some point over the Christmas period and did so at Bristol City with very poor results.

Although he is right to point out the big issue was defensively, where only one change had been made. Marlon Pack and Ryley Towler both had poor days on the return to their old club.

The game highlighted that Pompey's squad is thin on Championship quality. Without Josh Murphy there is no pace in the attack, and Callum Lang's work rate and finishing abilities were sorely missed. It was a lonely day up front for Colby Bishop.

This game underlined the importance of getting in the right recruits during the transfer window. It also highlighted that Portsmouth haven't figured out how to navigate three matches in a week without throwing in a really bad performance.

Given the hectic January fixture list, that is a worrying sign.

Image source, Rex Features

Portsmouth boss John Mousinho said his side "went under" after going a goal down in the 3-0 away defeat against Bristol City.

Anis Mehmeti scored City's opener on 20 minutes and two further goals in three minutes just after the half-hour mark all but secured the points.

"It was a really poor result and performance," Mousinho told BBC Radio Solent. "It's disappointing to follow up what have been really positive performances in the past couple of games.

"It was probably our best performance of the season against Coventry [4-1 win] and we were unlucky against Watford [2-1 defeat] on Thursday.

"One of the most frustrating things is we started the game OK and were the better side for the first 10-15 minutes. We really shot ourselves in the foot with the first goal. I can live with going a goal down but we went under after that. We didn't look like we competed.

"We tried to freshen things up after the busy period and with a game on Wednesday. Making those changes was our way of trying to have more energy but I don't think the changes were the issue. If you are not 'at it', then you get punished."

Andrew Moon
BBC Radio Solent reporter

Image source, Getty Images

What do Portsmouth need?

More Championship quality and players who are ready to come in and make an impact immediately.

The squad is bloated so there's no need to bring anyone in to add depth - they need to be good enough to quickly break into the starting XI.

What business are they likely to do?

A centre-back is a certainty. They had a bid rejected for Australian Hayden Matthews in the summer and they remain interested in the 20-year-old. Whether he's affordable or is good value for money is unclear.

Another midfielder and a couple of attackers would seem logical moves. Although those attackers will be the kind to play behind the striker, John Mousinho is adamant they won't be bringing in another number nine. Loans might be the easiest way to add Championship-ready players.

How successful have they been in recent January windows?

Until 2024, very unsuccessful. A poor January with misplaced priorities cost them promotion in 2019.

The list of good January signings in recent years is concerningly short. However, at the start of this year, the additions of Callum Lang and Owen Moxon helped Pompey get over the line.

Are there likely to be any notable departures?

Portsmouth cannot afford to let any regular starters depart. There are a number of squad players they will be happy to move on either permanently or on loan but they must get stronger not weaker if they want to stay up.

How key is the window?

Six weeks ago it felt like a good January was Portsmouth's only hope of survival. The return of Colby Bishop and the recent run of good form has changed things a bit.

It's hard to see Pompey going down if they have a successful month. Get their additions wrong though and it could be a tense second half to the season.

Bristol City welcome Portsmouth to Ashton Gate on Sunday with the visitors hoping to repeat the score line from the two teams' previous encounter.

Then, a 3-0 win on the south coast helped Pompey climb off the foot of the table, and John Mousinho's men have jumped another two places since then despite losing to Watford in the dying embers of their Boxing Day encounter.

Bristol City come into this off the back of a much-needed festive victory that snapped a four-match winless run.

• Bristol City are unbeaten in their last six home league matches against Portsmouth (W2 D4) since losing 2-0 back in 1991.

• Portsmouth are looking to win consecutive league games against Bristol City for the first time since April 1992.

• Bristol City have ended their calendar year with a goalless draw in each of the last two years, drawing 0-0 with Millwall in 2022 and 0-0 with Birmingham in 2023.

• Portsmouth have only ended their calendar year with a defeat in one of the last 11 years (W4 D6), losing 3-1 to MK Dons in 2019.

• Portsmouth have lost just two of their last 16 league games against 'City' sides (W8 D7), with those defeats coming at the hands of Stoke and Cardiff in October this season.

Andrew Moon
BBC Radio Solent's Portsmouth commentator

Image source, Rex Features

Blaming officials can appear an easy way out after a defeat but it's understandable quite why Portsmouth were so angry with the penalty awarded in the second half.

The challenge by Freddie Potts was clearly outside the box and referee Geoff Eltringham needed a discussion with his assistant before awarding it.

The assistant simply didn't have the view to see it clearly.

Up until that point Pompey had successfully frustrated Watford and had the lead thanks to Zak Swanson's fine finish.

A huge amount of mental and physical energy are required for a performance like that.

To have come away with nothing will hurt.

The challenge now is for Pompey to pick themselves up again at Bristol City on Sunday (15:00 GMT).

On Boxing Day, Watford host a Portsmouth side that are fresh off the back of a morale-boosting 4-1 victory over Coventry City.

The Hornets sit in the Championship's top eight with 34 points and are just one point off Middlesbrough in sixth.

Pompey have spent large parts of the season in the bottom three but have recently found some good form at home that has lifted them above the dotted line and they currently sit 20th.

• Watford have won their last three home league games against Portsmouth, although this is their first meeting since a 2-0 win back in November 2011.

• The last six league meetings between Watford and Portsmouth have all been won by the home side.

• Watford have lost each of their last two league matches on Boxing Day, last suffering three straight defeats on this date between 1956 and 1958.

• In the second tier, Portsmouth are winless in their last seven games on Boxing Day (D4 L3) since a 3-1 win over QPR in 1997.

• Watford have won both previous Boxing Day meetings with Portsmouth, beating them 1-0 in 1988 under Steve Harrison and 2-0 in 1994 under Glenn Roeder.

Football commentator and Pompey fan Ian Darke joins Chris Wise and Andy Moon to look back on Portsmouth's win over Coventry City and ahead to the festive fixtures.

Ian tells the story of the match when a Pompey player bettered Callum Lang's heroics at the weekend.

Plus there's all your questions answered in Moon's Musings.

Search "Portsmouth" on the BBC Sounds App or click the link above to listen.

Tom Chappell
Fan writer from Fournilwrittenalloverit

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, Rex Features

Callum Lang's present to the Pompey faithful was a four-goal, gift-wrapped, 10/10 display on Saturday afternoon.

The Scouser almost doubled his goal tally for the season and has been widely credited by the fanbase to be the top performer in a Portsmouth shirt this season.

He possesses all the industry and dynamic determination that Pompey fans fall in love with so quickly, and is a man who throughout his time at the club thus far has performed as if he truly feels the weight of the shirt he wears.

He won't be the Christmas number one in terms of goals in the Championship, but is rapidly becoming a noticeable talent in the second tier.

Significantly, Lang as a set-piece threat is not what we would usually associate with his game, so it came as a welcome surprise as he rose highest to meet Freddie Potts' delivery for his fourth goal.

As a team more broadly, Pompey are beginning to frequent Fratton Park with a spring in our step.

For me there's no coincidence that Matt Ritchie's return to consistent starts in this Pompey team correlates positively with an uptick in performances and results - a handful of games aside - since our trip to Humberside on the first weekend of November.

He has an almost possessive can-do, homegrown attitude in everything he does on the pitch, and one would imagine off the pitch, in terms of driving the standards around the training ground day to day.

Andre Dozzell passed the Coventry midfielders off the pitch, Ryley Towler stepped up stoically after 11 consecutive games warming the bench and Zak Swanson locked down Coventry's in-form Ephron Mason-Clark admirably after the 10-minute opening scare.

The last man deserving of an almighty mention is the ever-dependable Nicolas Schmid.

There is no doubting his one-on-one heroism with Norman Bassette at 0-1 was a determining factor in the outcome of the game.

Schmid's foundations paved the way for Lang's brilliance. Festive joy at Fratton means it will be a Happy Christmas for Pompey fans all over the world.

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