After beating then second-placed Bolton Wanderers 2-0 at Fratton Park on the 11th of December, it looked very likely that Portsmouth could runaway from the chasing pack.
It was a dominant performance in front of the TV cameras, and John Mousinho’s men really proved their authority at the top of the table. Having inflicted defeat on their nearest challengers it looked as if the best was still yet to come from Portsmouth.
However that really hasn’t materialised and the south-coast side are now winless in their last three matches in all competitions. A lot of that can be put down to complacency from the players. That said complacency has no doubt cost Portsmouth in recent weeks, and a drop in performance has occurred in all of their last three matches.
After beating Bolton, Portsmouth would then easily defeat Shrewsbury 3-0 without having to really get out of first gear. It was their defeat against AFC Wimbledon which was the result that potentially derailed their good form. Although there are questions to be asked about the significance of the Bristol Street Motors Trophy to Portsmouth, a 5-2 shock defeat to a team in the league below was a real worry.
It looks as if that defeat has certainly impacted Mousinho’s side with that freak result not being the only one in recent weeks for Portsmouth.
After that loss in the cup, Pompey hosted relegation-threatened Fleetwood Town at Fratton Park, a game which on paper looked an easy task for the home side. Going into the game, Fleetwood had lost each of their last six games in all completions, scoring zero goals and conceding 17 during that time.
Yet the Cods would leave Fratton with a point following a 1-1 draw with the league leaders. It was a result that very few saw coming, especially given Fleetwood’s recent form. Lee Johnson’s men are currently sat in 23rd and are still winless in the league since the 11th of November.
Perhaps the loss to Wimbledon was an outlier, but the Fleetwood performance really raised some question marks about their current performance.
Those question marks about Portsmouth’s potential blip in form were only exacerbated on Boxing Day as they lost 2-1 at the hands of Bristol Rovers. That was their first loss away from home this season and just the second they’d lost all season in League One.
After the wins Over Bolton and Shrewsbury, Portsmouth saw themselves eight points clear of Peterborough and nine points ahead of the previously mentioned Bolton Wanderers. That gap has now been cut to just four points to both of those teams, with Bolton also having a game in hand.
Mousinho has to get his side back on track at the nearest opportunity and they head to 20th-placed Exeter City on Friday night. Exeter ended their 13 match winless run, the longest in the division, on Boxing Day after beating Wycombe 1-0.
It could be another potential banana skin for Portsmouth as it’s a bad time to play Exeter, with the players no doubt in high spirits after getting their first win in the league since the 16th of September.
It is paramount that Portsmouth return from their trip to Exeter with all three points in order to gain some much needed momentum going into the new year.
Although it could only be a small blip in form, recent results have allowed Peterborough and Bolton to get back into the title race as well as Derby, Oxford and Stevenage who are only a further two points behind.
The wheels might not be falling off completely just yet, but cracks in the Portsmouth team are really beginning to show.
