Credit: Imago

Pranav Shahaney

Mon 17 March 2025 22:33, UK

Portsmouth suffered a 2-1 defeat against Preston North End on Deepdale in the EFL Championship on Saturday.

Colby Bishop was the only goal scorer for the visitors as they endured a tough day at the office.

With that result, Portsmouth find themselves in 17th place and four points clear of the relegation zone.

Ryan Porteous makes Team of the Week after goal against Portsmouth

Ryan Porteous and Stefan Thordarson scored the hosts as they secured a home win against Pompey.

Both sides burst into life in the second period and there were chances for either to win the game.

However, the visitors made a hash of their efforts, especially in the second period to make things count.

Porteous, for his goal and overall performance made the WhoScored Team of the Week with a rating of 8.1.

John Mousinho has to use the international break strategically

John Mousinho will have gleaned critical lessons from the 2-1 defeat to Preston, particularly about his team’s resilience and finishing in tight Championship encounters.

The game exposed Pompey’s vulnerability to late collapses, as they conceded twice in the second half despite equalising through Bishop, highlighting a need for better game management and defensive organisation under pressure.

The first half’s lack of cutting edge, registering just one shot on target, underscored an over-reliance on Josh Murphy’s creativity and a failure to convert promising moments, like Terry Devlin’s missed chance, into goals.

Mousinho will note that Preston’s quadruple half-time substitution shifted momentum, suggesting his own bench lacked similar impact until too late.

Over the international break, he must sharpen his attack, drilling players like Bishop and Devlin to be more clinical, while integrating Cohen Bramall’s long-range threat into structured moves rather than relying on individual brilliance.

Defensively, he’ll need to tighten marking on set pieces and instil a mentality to hold leads or fight back consistently.