PORTSMOUTH 1 CITY 2
Canon League Division 2
27th April 1985
attendance 22,232
scorers
City Phillips(47), Simpson(81)
Portsmouth Morgan(57)
Ref M Bodenham
City Williams, Clements, Power, Reid, McCarthy, Phillips, Simpson, May, Tolmie, Smith, Kinsey – sub Lomax(unused)
Portsmouth Knight, Tate, Hardyman, Dillon, Black, Gilbert, O’Callaghan, Webb, Kennedy, Morgan, Hilaire – sub Doyle
FROM BILLY MCNEILL’S PROGRAMME NOTES, PUBLISHED IN THE CITY PROGRAMME 4TH MAY 1985
Before we went into that critical match at Fratton Park last Saturday I had clearly worked out the various combinations of results which could boost us to promotion or wipe us out for good.
My prime task was to take the tenseness out of the team before they took the field: I preached confidence and composure. The players responded tremendously, they had the mood and determination to win that last chance available to us at Portsmouth. Nothing less than victory would have served a purpose in my view and we tackled the job correctly.
Pompey had a physical approach to the game, though not to the same degree as Birmingham’s robust style. Pompey have big lads up front, determiried and energetic in their game and it wasn’t difficult to anticipate that we would have spells under intense pressure. It was always our intention to hit them hard on the break, but we missed two great early chances when Jim Tolmie hit a shot over the bar and Steve Kinsey’s effort was saved by the ’keeper.
We played well, tenaciously, defended strongly. Apart from a header which went wide and a very good save early-on from Alex Williams, we were every bit in the hunt with them till half-time.
Alex handled cleanly and made one very vital save from Neil Webb when the score was 1-1.
Our winner was a classic from Paul Simpson, his third from a handful of first team opportunities. lt’s impossible at this stage to put a
value on that goal but it may well prove to be the most important scored this season.
Although it came nine minutes from time it did seem to be scored an etemity away from the final whistle. But imagine the excitement in the closing minutes when City fans stood behind the trainer’s bench started hammering for our attention with the news that Blackbum Rovers, possibly the biggest threat to our ambitions last week-end, had lost at Charlton.
A delayed start and injury time, plus hold-ups, in our game resulted in an over-run approaching seven minutes. So the other results were known before we’d finished.