Portsmouth player ratings v Stoke – MOTM in 9/10 stunner
Portsmouth sealed a fourth straight home victory on Wednesday night, adding Stoke City to the list of Fratton Park victims with a 3-1 success.
The Blues dominated pretty much from start to finish, with a penalty from Colby Bishop and top scorer Callum Lang’s header putting them straight into the ascendancy inside the first nine minutes.
Ben Wilmot pulled one back in a rare improvement from Stoke but Connor Ogilvie added a third after the break, lifting Pompey back out of the relegation zone with the first port of call now to improve the concerning away form.
Pompey News rates the performances of each player out of 10 at Fratton Park.
Portsmouth get the job done against tepid Stoke City
Nicolas Schmid – 7
Did his job when called upon, just seems a safe pair of hands – especially at home – and the defence benefit all the better for it. Can also claim an assist as his long ball to Lang was headed past opposite number Johansson.
Jordan Williams (off for Terry Devlin 88′) – 9
His best game in a Portsmouth shirt. Fantastic distribution to kickstart attacks through the wide areas, and did his defensive duties excellently and kept Koumas utterly silent. An assured presence all round, exactly why he was signed in the summer. Hopefully now through with the injury setbacks.
Marlon Pack – 7
Taking into account previous mistakes while playing out of position, a steady performance in the backline from the skipper. Still feels like a square peg in a round hole long-term, but that’s no fault of his own.
Rob Atkinson – 7
Looks to be enjoying being back out on the pitch, and Pompey are the beneficiaries of that. Commanding, and a good influence on Pack alongside him. All hopes are that he maintains his fitness after such a long time on the sidelines.
Connor Ogilvie – 6
A familiar Ogilvie Championship performance, in which he did something very poor and something very good. Fell asleep and let Wilmot in behind him to pull one back for Stoke and turned the momentum, but then vitally restored the two-goal lead himself with what is becoming a trademark tap-in.
Portsmouth a different beast at Fratton with another home win
Isaac Hayden (off for Andre Dozzell 67′) – 6
Won his tackles but was a little sloppy with his passing at times. Will have better individual games when his match fitness builds but a player of his experience and calibre is a great acquisition.
Freddie Potts – 7
Another very capable performance in the middle from the youngster, and delivered a terrific corner to lead to Ogilvie’s crucial third goal. Pompey will remain hopeful West Ham don’t consider recalling him.
Matt Ritchie (off for Zak Swanson 83′) – 7
A quieter display than that of his heroics against Middlesbrough, which is far from a criticism and can be expected for a 35-year-old winger playing twice in four days. Even so, kept Stoke on their toes and still played some neat passes, tucking in defensively when required.
Callum Lang – 8
Won the penalty – perhaps fortuitously, perhaps not – for an alleged push by Wilson-Esbrand. Wasted no time in getting himself on the scoresheet with a header from Schmid’s long kick, now 10 for the campaign. Won tackles and dominated Stoke in front of their own final third.
Josh Murphy – 6
Had a few early pot shots from the left-hand side he was occupying, but was not always involved and needed to be more in the game at times. Then again, Murphy has that ability to turn on the quality in the blink of an eye in these sorts of games, so not a concern.
Colby Bishop – 6
Scored the early penalty with aplomb to put Portsmouth into the driving seat, and looked to press when he could. Didn’t receive a great deal of service in open play as the wide men didn’t receive the ball regularly, but worked hard and nearly made it four midway through the second half.
Substitutes
Andre Dozzell (on for Isaac Hayden 67′) – 6
Picked up where Hayden left off, just with the added sharpness from more regular football this season.
Zak Swanson (on for Matt Ritchie 83′) – 6
Replaced the tireless Ritchie late on.
Terry Devlin (on for Jordan Williams 88′) – 5
Was involved in a challenge that Stoke didn’t like on Wilmot in stoppage time, with the visitors’ scorer forced off injured.
In other Portsmouth news, the Australian link solidifies again as one player from Down Under is set to follow his compatriot to Fratton Park.
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