Adrian Segecic already makes his point – Three lessons learned in Portsmouth win vs Oxford

Portsmouth got their Championship season off to a flyer with a 1-0 win against Oxford United.

Adrian Segecic scored the winner in the first half, firing in a rebound after Colby Bishop had a shot saved.

Oxford cranked up the pressure in the second half, but Portsmouth held on well to claim three points away from home.

Below, Pompey News round up three things learned about John Mousinho’s side from this winning performance at the Kassam Stadium.

Adrian Segecic in action for Portsmouth
Credit: Imago

Callum Lang is at home on the right wing

Most Pompey fans would agree that Callum Lang’s best position is playing as a second striker. This is where he delivered his best performances for the Blues last season.

He was moved out to the right wing in pre-season, with Mousinho preferring Segecic in that number 10 role.

Lang was on the right wing today, and he caused a problem for his marker almost every time he was on the ball, particularly on in the first half. It was a

There might have been some worries about whether Segecic and Lang could co-exist in the same team. Those doubts will have been eradicated after this game.

Portsmouth star Callum Lang
Lang could be an asset for Pompey if he returns to fitness [Credit: Imago]

Segecic has already proven he can make mark in Championship

Segecic was top goalscorer in the Australian A-League last season with 18 goals for Sydney FC.

He had been sharp in pre-season for Portsmouth, but there were still doubts about whether he could do the business in the Championship.

He will have gone a long way to quietening the nay-sayers with this performance, having scored the winner and been involved in several other meaningful attacks.

Pompey have shown they can grind out a result away from home

Portsmouth had their second-worst away record in the Championship last season, only winning three of the 23 league games on the road.

They threw a lot of points away in the dying minutes in these matches, but today they showed they can dig in and see out a result.

OxfordPortsmouth
Goals01
Shots on goal188
Possession4951

Regan Poole and Conor Shaughnessy barely played together last season due to injury problems for both players. They were both immense today, as Portsmouth held on for a clean sheet.

Mousinho will be thrilled to have both players available for the start of this season, and it could make a world of difference to Pompey’s away form if these two remain fit.

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