Colby Bishop sends one-word message as Josh Murphy celebrates Portsmouth win
Portsmouth took another huge step forward in their bid for Championship survival when they beat Blackburn Rovers at Fratton Park on Saturday.
Josh Murphy’s solitary strike on 20 minutes secured a 1-0 win for Pompey over Valerien Ismael’s side, whose play-off chances took another serious dent.
Murphy admitted that Portsmouth did not perform particularly well in their victory over Blackburn, but John Mousinho will be delighted that his side won all three points.
Pompey may now fancy their chances of making it two wins from two when they travel to face an inconsistent Millwall side on Saturday (5 April).
Bishop comments as Murphy celebrates Portsmouth win
After scoring Pompey’s winner on Saturday, Murphy wrote on Instagram: “Sunshine. Fratton Park. 3 points.”
Bishop, who assisted Murphy’s goal, replied with the word “Shooter”, accompanied by a bow and arrow emoji as well as a love heart eyes emoji.
Pompey can plan for next season in the Championship
After winning the League One title last season, Portsmouth’s goal this campaign was always to maintain their Championship status.
Mousinho’s men have all but achieved that objective now as they sit seven points above the relegation zone with just seven games left to play in the second tier.
Barring a seemingly unlikely downturn in fortunes, the Fratton Park side now look set to enjoy next season as a Championship club once more.
| Josh Murphy stats | 2024/25 Championship |
| Appearances | 35 |
| Goals | 7 |
| Assists | 10 |
Portsmouth can now plan for a summer transfer window in which they will look to recruit players who can help them enjoy a more comfortable season in the second tier next term.
Pompey have done well to have seemingly staved off the threat of relegation in their first campaign back in the Championship since they were relegated back in 2012.
But their season has been far from perfect, as demonstrated by the fact that they have conceded more goals than Luton, who could be destined for League One.
Still, thanks to the win over Blackburn, it is very much looking like a case of job done.