Rob Atkinson baffles live on Sky Sports after ‘Drama’ in Portsmouth v Derby
Rob Atkinson was the centre of attention as Portsmouth drew 2-2 against Derby County at Fratton Park in the Championship on Saturday.
Pompey welcomed Derby home on 12 April, with both teams looking to get the three points to secure themselves in the final stretch of the season.
Atkinson’s inclusion in John Mousinho’s starting lineup pleased the supporters, and the English centre-back was highly involved in both ends of the pitch on his return.
Jerry Yates opened the scoring at Fratton Park, but the Bristol City loanee equalised for the hosts seconds later and was then involved in an own goal before finding the back of the net again in stoppage time.
Atkinson stuns after stoppage-time equaliser for Portsmouth v Derby
Mark McAdam was stunned by Atkison after he scored his second goal against Derby.
The Sky Sports reporter couldn’t believe how the centre-back managed to find the back of the net for his brace at Fratton Park.
| Championship table (2024/25) | Matches played | Points |
| 19. Portsmouth | 42 | 46 |
| 20. Hull | 41 | 44 |
| 21. Derby | 42 | 43 |
| 22. Cardiff | 42 | 42 |
| 23. Luton | 42 | 40 |
| 24. Plymouth | 42 | 40 |
McAdam was baffled by the “drama” in Hampshire as the home crowd made their voices heard after the stoppage time equaliser.
Speaking on Sky Sports News (12 April, 16:51), the reporter said: “More drama. And guess who’s at the centre of it? The man that scored, the man that scored an own goal. It’s Atkinson who’s now got his second and drawn Pompey back level. And once again, it’s another header.
“Ball into the box. I don’t know how he does it. He’s got his back to goal, but he’s inside the box, and he just flicks it backwards into that bottom corner. You can hear what it means to Fratton Park.”
Pompey relegation battle heating up after Derby draw
Pompey are firmly in a Championship relegation battle and will hope there are three teams worse than them in the league.
The Hampshire outfit are embroiled in an unpredictable mini-league at the bottom of the table, with fans nervous going into the last four games of the season.
Mousinho is under massive pressure at Fratton Park as his team have dropped to 19th in the table, four points ahead of 22nd-place Cardiff City.
Portsmouth can’t drop down to League One as they may have to make several changes across the team, starting with the possible dismissal of the English manager.
Players like Josh Murphy and Callum Lang, who’ve thrived at the Hampshire outfit in the current campaign, may also look for pastured new in case of relegation.
Pompey would have difficulty retaining their best players in the third division, making another promotion challenging to achieve.
Pompey need stability to establish themselves in the Championship before potentially gunning for the Premier League, but the coming weeks will be pivotal in determining their future.