Sky Sports pundit reacts to ‘huge’ Portsmouth v Stoke incident – ‘Trouble’
Callum Lang made “a meal” of the foul he drew for the penalty incident for Portsmouth against Stoke City but the correct decision was made, according to Andy Walker.
Lang was fouled by Stoke debutant Josh Wilson-Esbrand inside the opening stages at Fratton Park, with Colby Bishop stepping up to smash home from 12 yards – his second successful penalty of the season.
It was the Pompey top scorer Lang himself who headed in a quickfire second, moving into double figures in goals for the season, as recently appointed Potters boss Mark Robins rued the start to the game.
“My eyes were drawn immediately to it, I think it was two hands in the back,” Walker explained live on Sky Sports+ (22 January, 19:49).
“Wilson-Esbrand has made a huge mistake. A terrific ball into the box and [Lang] might make a bit of a meal of it.
“But when you put two hands onto an opponent like that, in such a delicate area of the pitch – you’re asking for trouble.”
Portsmouth aiming to continue home form
Portsmouth have carved out a contrasting habit of performing terrifically at home while completely faltering on the road in recent months.
The Blues have won five of their last six at home as they approached the midweek meeting with Stoke, while not claiming a single point away from Fratton Park in their last five league games.
Sandwiched in between was also a tame 2-0 defeat in the FA Cup third round by Wycombe Wanderers, and the last Championship point gained on the road came against Swansea City (30 November), a game on which the Blues passed up a two-goal lead to draw.
It has been utterly chalk and cheese – and while John Mousinho may be tempted to rely on the home form and optimise Fratton as a fortress, the away form desperately needs addressing and is single-handedly the factor keeping Pompey in a dogfight.
A trip to West Bromwich Albion (25 January) – under the new stewardship of Tony Mowbray – beckons after the Stoke contest, with the Baggies having won 3-0 on the South Coast back in September.
In other Portsmouth news, Freddie Potts’ loan spell at Pompey could be in danger of being cut short.
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