Oh, but if we could play all our matches on the road this season. To beat Accrington is never a bad thing, but to do so last week had an inexplicable charm to it. We can’t quite put our finger on it. It could be that, having stopped them gaining promotion of the automatic type last term, they really wanted to put one over us. Or it could be that, given the table is what it is right now, a three-point haul takes on greater significance. Either way, it nudged us onto our third straight away league win on the spin. An effort that ain’t half hot mum.
Now, we’re not suggesting the Lamex should be binned. Far from it. We love the gaff, we really do. It is our church, Boro’ is our religion. And such related wet talk that marketers like to slap across a t-shirt and cup combo. But our record on the road is now better than our record indoors. By a fraction. Or, to be accurate, a point. The difference is that one of our draws away from SG2 would’ve been a loss had it been played at home. We don’t mean it literally, of course, otherwise we’d have said “literally”. But you catch our drift, shirley?
Portsmouth v Stevenage: Due South
Our home form, and our inability to win therein on the last four occasions, means nothing this week. That’s because we’re off on our roamings again. Portsmouth, to be exact. Unlike many of our League Two brethren, us (and Donny) had the benefit of a day off during the week. It’s one of the perks of being falling at the first fence in the FA Cup. And, when we say ‘one of’, we mean ‘the only’ perk. It means we ought to be as fresh as a daisy as we prepare to do battle with a team who are a bit handy this season. At this point in time, they’re 4th.
“Pompey”, or the “Big Pomp” as no-one has ever called them, roll into this game off the back of a four-game unbeaten stretch. It would have been seven games, but for a weirdly out-of-place home defeat to Notts County just over a month ago. In attack, there is no team better on their own turf than Portsmouth. The home faithful have seen 21 goals spread across eight games and are yet to see their beloved draw a blank. Boro’, with the 21st best defence overall in the division, might have their work cut out making it four straight away victories.
Of course, last weekend’s win hasn’t quite liberated us from the brown stuff that will inevitably unfold below us over the course of the campaign. The spread of places wot we could be in by 5pm on Saturday evening remains as laughably large as ever. 22nd is the worst and 11th is the best, unless we get a four-goal swing on Blackpool. Which won’t be happening. But we can jiggle our two games in hand in the faces of the naysayers, which makes the outcome of this weekend’s game more palatable to cope with. All hands to the pomp!
Portsmouth v Stevenage: Show me those hot League Two stats from Kick Off:
Portsmouth v Stevenage: FIFA 17 Verdict
Let’s hope that Boro’s luck holds out longer than our FIFA 17 luck. With the one shot on target, Pompey took the honours from this encounter. But, we can’t let you sit there and think “gee, that sounds harsh dude”. The first reason is because we abhor the word “dude” and don’t want you saying it, let alone thinking it. The second is because, actually, our defending for their goal was a homage to Totteringham and the Hotspuds’ efforts against the entire nation of Monte Carlo. Our efforts to draw level against our hosts were, at best, rubbish.
BoroGuide’s Portsmouth club profile – it’s your perfect South Coast getaway…
