John Mousinho: Portsmouth ‘need more from referees’ after agonising Burnley defeat
Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho believes his side need more protection from referees after an agonising defeat by Burnley.
Mousinho’s Blues conceded yet another last-gasp goal to emerge from Turf Moor empty-handed, remaining in the Championship relegation zone after a tough start.
Speaking to the official Portsmouth FC website [21 September], he criticised the officials following the reverse in Lancashire.
“I’d rather be honest and you could see from how I reacted at the back end, we need much more from the referees as well,” he raged.
“It’s a foul on Harvey Blair which is given the other way; Burnley go on and score.
“When we’re up against sides like Burnley, coming down from the Premier League, we need a much, much better performance from the officials.”
Portsmouth suffer last-minute blow again
Portsmouth have struggled this season with seeing out potentially top results away from home, having conceded a stoppage-time goal in each of their three games on the road this season.
Leeds United, Middlesbrough and now Burnley – all expected to be challenging near the top this season – have all secured either a winner or an equaliser right at the death against Pompey, who remain without a win after six games.
It’s a bitter pill to swallow and a baptism of fire back in the second tier, but in the long-term is likely to be a learning curve for Mousinho and his team, adapting to the leap in level.
Yet another tricky test against Sheffield United is up next, after which comes a stint of fixtures from which Pompey will be confident of picking up far more points.
It promises to be an intriguing block of the campaign, and will offer a better insight into how this Blues team can cope in the Championship over the coming months.
In other Portsmouth news, Ian Darke backs Blair to be a “future star”.
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