Credit: Imago

Dan Godfrey

Wed 9 April 2025 22:06, UK

Portsmouth worked tirelessly in a fragmented encounter but were cruelly beaten at the death at Coventry City in the Championship.

Wednesday night’s clash (9 April) was one many tipped to go the way of Frank Lampard‘s hosts, given their promotion aspirations – but they were made to work for it as Jamie Paterson volleyed in a 94th-minute winner.

Blues fans were unsure when they saw John Mousinho’s starting XI, and a committed defensive performance was so close to yielding a result with which Pompey would have been content. Yet again, the ruthlessness of the Championship struck again.

Pompey News picks out three key points to take from the agonising defeat at the CBS Arena.

Connor Ogilvie most improved player in the Championship

As far as performance improvements over the course of this isolated season goes, Ogilvie is right up there in the Championship.

He got his head or body to – almost – everything. Arguments can be made over how Portsmouth let Coventry into their box so regularly, with much of the defending falling into ‘last-ditch’ category. There was just that one moment when he missed his header in the build-up, and characteristic of the league, it proved crucial.

However, Ogilvie – standing in at centre-half rather than the position of left-back he has occupied for much of the campaign – was often in the right place to deter the Sky Blues’ attack.

Regan Poole impressed alongside him, too, with an all-action display – there pair of them have for the most part been impressive over recent weeks, with the exception of last weekend at Millwall.

Ogilvie looked uncertain, naive and not up to pace on a regular basis in the early parts of the season, but is now an assured presence in the Pompey backline and there is a reason he has played the most minutes in Mousinho’s squad in 2024-25. He will be vital for the remainder of the survival bid.

Josh Murphy has off nights too

Where the defence were forced into a flurry of action which ended in despair, Murphy was unable to provide his usual magic for Pompey at the other end on this occasion.

While he nearly had an 11th assist of the season for Poole from a corner from the left, he was quiet on his preferred wing on Wednesday and Milan van Ewijk, Coventry’s right-back, was tremendous to thwart him.

After half-time, the game became cagier and therefore did not really suit Pompey’s main man of the final third of the season.

Coventry’s dominance essentially cancelled Murphy out of the game, as well as Matt Ritchie when he came on. Portsmouth’s only chance came right before Paterson’s decider, when Cohen Bramall elected to shoot on a counter-attack rather then square for Colby Bishop.

The bulk of Murphy’s top displays, like his side, have come at Fratton Park – and they will not come more welcomely that against Derby County on Saturday (12 April) – which is now a six-pointer.

Portsmouth have to pack in the short corners

Portsmouth mixed it up with the corners they won at Coventry, particularly in the first half, as they managed to force four in total.

Murphy was the taker, and some were taken short to a man running in from the near post as planned by Mousinho and his coaching staff.

However, the one which threatened was whipped straight into the box from the left-hand side, as Poole got his head to it in a crowded penalty area to find his attempt come back off the underside of the crossbar and out.

It was a massive chance for Pompey to take a shock lead in the West Midlands – chances which need to be taken to consolidate safety in the latter stage of the season.

Corners taken short ended up either in another corner, or a throw-in for Pompey as Coventry flocked to prevent crosses coming in once the set-piece had been taken.