PREVIEW: U's Head For Pompey

A full guide to tonight's game at Fratton Park

25 October 2022

Oxford United travel to Portsmouth this evening in Sky Bet League 1

TEAM NEWS

The U's are without Matty Taylor for the next three games following his red card against Peterborough on Saturday. An appeal against the decision was unsuccessful and he will miss tonight's game plus the trip to Bolton on Saturday and next Tuesday's home game against Fleetwood Town.

Kyle Joseph is likely to take up a more central role in Taylor's absence while youth team striker Gatlin O'Donkor is added to the squad.

The U's are without Sam Baldock, Josh Murphy and Yanic Wildschut who returned to the training pitches yesterday but is still five or six weeks away from a return to action. Oisin Smyth is the latest player to pick up an injury, tweaking a hamstring in training, but James Henry could return after an ankle problem that kept him out on Saturday.

THE OPPOSITION

Pompey Boss Danny Cowley believes the U’s will pose a real threat tonight despite his team’s unbeaten home record.

“They’ve got a really good team and had some injury problems at the start of the season, which probably disrupted them” he said. “Most of the key players are now back and they were at full tilt when I watched them win at Exeter recently.

“They played with a real rhythm and control, dominating the ball and carrying threat on the transition.
I would anticipate that they’ll move up through the league very quickly and it’s not a game we’re taking lightly.

“We’ll need to perform at our best if we want to get a positive result, but we’re under the lights at Fratton and there’s no better place to be.”

TICKETS

Sky Bet League 1
Tuesday 25th October 2022
19:45pm Kick Off

We have initially been allocated 1,000 Seats located in the Milton End

These are on sale online from oufctickets.co.uk and by phone (01865 337533) and to personal callers.

PRICES
Adult - £24
Senior (65+) - £18
Young Person (18 – 22) - £16
Junior (Under 18) - £7
Ambulant - £16
Helper - £0

We have five Wheelchair and Carer Tickets (Maximum Allocation) in the Fratton End which can be purchased by calling 0345 646 1898 (Option 1)

Wheelchair and carer spaces are located amongst the home wheelchair section in front of the Fratton End.

CAR PARK (Limited Spaces)

Car parking for both home and away is located behind the North Stand. This can be entered via Anson Road off Rodney Road PO4 8SX. If supporters wish to book a car park space, they will need to contact Portsmouth directly on 0345 646 1898

LONDON ROAD CLUB

London Road Coaches depart the Kassam Stadium at 16:30pm

Prices

Adult member £18.00
Under 18 Member £16.00
Adult non member £21.00
Under 18 non member £19.00

Visit oufctickets.co.uk or call 01865 337533 to book a place on the coaches

Discounted LRC membership is available now until 31 October at £5 for supporters who have purchased a 22/23 season ticket. The price after this time and for non-season ticket holders is £10.

Coach tickets are £3 cheaper for LRC members, so the membership soon pays for itself, even for occasional travellers.

For the safety and comfort of supporters, all those travelling are asked to abide by the rules which are:

• Under-14s must be accompanied by a responsible adult to travel on LRC transport.

• No alcohol is permitted on the coaches.

The London Road Club asks all supporters to have respect for their fellow passengers and will not tolerate any misbehaviour.

THE OUSP has produced this guide for fans:

Fan Guide Portsmouth.pdf

iFollow

The game will be available to see on iFollow in the UK and overseas. CLICK HERE TO see the game

Match Previews

Match Reports

REPORT Portsmouth 1 Oxford United 1

Ten man U's draw at Pompey. Full time report

25 October 2022

Oxford United were reduced to ten men for the second time in a row but held out for a 1-1 draw at Portsmouth tonight in a 'game of two halves'.

United started strongly and were a goal up at the break through a superb Kyle Joseph effort. However, a red card for Billy Bodin meant a ten-man defence of that lead and a controversial Colby Bishop equaliser meant the sides shared the points.

With youngster Gatlin O’Donkor full of running as a replacement for the suspended Matty Taylor, United were deservedly ahead at the interval through Joseph’s sixth goal of the season. Sam Long played it forward, O’Donkor chested it down and Joseph powered it into the top left corner from 20 yards out.

A terrific goal and no more than the U’s had deserved for a positive first half. Cameron Brannagan and Bodin both fired off target efforts at goal, while at the other end Elliott Moore and Stuart Findlay stood up well to a barrage of high balls into the box that rarely troubled former Pompey keeper Simon Eastwood .

Joseph grazed the left post with another fine effort on 32 minutes, and United had been in control with only a tame Ronan Curtis effort to worry Eastwood in the first 45 minutes.

251022 portsmouth 1st (9).jpg

Nicky and Danny Cowley rode their luck at times and will have been hoping for a Littlemore from their side after the break Iffley could. United prepared for an onslaught, knowing that Pompey would play up.

However, they continued to press the opposition and work ferociously hard and the expected siege failed to materialise until the red card changed the flow of the game.

Brannagan forced a corner after a delightful passing move soon after the break, even if Portsmouth almost scored from that corner - a superb counter attack denied by a save from Eastwood and a terrific block from the always excellent Ciaron Brown.

Otherwise, from open play United were stubborn and resilient but their cause was far from helped on 72 minutes when, with tackles starting to pile up, Bodin slid into a tackle from behind and was sent off for his second yellow of the evening.

For the second game in a row United were asked to raise their game when a man light. How do you raise the workrate when you are already flat out?

Djavan Anderson added fresh legs and energy but once again a big decision was to go against Karl Robinson's men. Dropping deeper by the minute, United were adamant that a scooped ball into the box was controlled by Bishop's arm. Ref Sam Purkiss and his assistant believed otherwise and the striker turned to steer the ball beyond the sprawling Eastwood to level at 1-1.

Now the siege truly began and United were confined to the perimeter of their own penalty area. Captain Elliott Moore made a magnificent block to keep a Josh Koroma shot out and hacked clearances came straight back at the defence as Portsmouth pressed.

Eight minutes of added time were herocially navigated without a genuine goal threat and the U's will be the happier side to end up with the traditional 1-1 draw when the sides meet.

A point on the road, earned the hard way. A small step, but still a step in the right direction

Att: 18,277
Away: 784

Report by Chris Williams, pictures by Steve Edmunds and Rex Shutterstock

Match Reports

Ticket News

Portsmouth Ticket Details

Details for our trip to Fratton Park on Tuesday

24 October 2022

Ticket details for our game at Portsmouth on Tuesday are as follows: