Ian Darke makes ‘tremendous’ admission after what he saw Portsmouth do v Norwich
Ian Darke has made his feelings apparent after Portsmouth earned a 5-3 victory over Norwich on Friday.
Portsmouth put their abysmal away form behind them to beat Norwich at Carrow Road on 18 April and move six points clear of the relegation zone with three games left to play.
With two of their remaining fixtures held at Fratton Park, Pompey will be confident about their chances of staying in the Championship against the odds.
John Mousinho has Colby Bishop to thank for the incredible result at Norwich, with the striker’s hat-trick firing the Hampshire outfit to a win against 13th-placed Canaries.
Darke drops ‘priceless’ Portsmouth claim
Darke was so impressed by Portsmouth’s performance that he described their effort as ‘tremendous’, tipping his hat to the whole team.
| Norwich | Stat | Portsmouth |
| 11 | Shots | 22 |
| 6 | Shots on target | 10 |
| 61% | Possession | 39% |
| 503 | Passes | 315 |
| 80% | Pass accuracy | 73% |
The pundit is of the view that the three points away at Carrow Road are ‘priceless’ for Pompey as they look to avoid relegation in their first season back in the Championship.
“Tremendous from Pompey to produce five away goals and three priceless points with pressure so high”, Darke wrote on his personal X handle (18 April).
“Hats off to the whole team to dig out that performance when it really mattered.”
Tremendous from Pompey to produce 5 away goals and 3 priceless points with pressure so high. Hats off to the whole team to dig out that performance when it really mattered.
— Ian Darke (@IanDarke) April 18, 2025
Mousinho to lead Pompey to safety
Portsmouth feared the worst after they failed to register a single win in their first nine Championship games this season.
However, Mousinho has since done an exceptional job of steering the Fratton Park outfit away from the relegation zone.
A three-game winning streak in February put the Hampshire-based club on course to avoid the drop, although a run of two wins in eight matches raised concerns again.
Everyone associated with Portsmouth will have breathed a huge sigh of relief after the victory over Norwich.
With three teams separating Pompey from the danger zone, Mousinho and Co. have pretty much confirmed their place in the Championship next season.
Pompey’s limited resources meant that Mousinho faced an uphill task to keep the team in the division, but he can take pride in the fact that he is on course to do exactly that.