Pompey Home Match: Tisdale “The game was littered with bad decisions”

A late equaliser meant a share of the spoils for 2 struggling teams. A wet pitch and a strong wind did nothing to help produce a quality game of football. But 3 matches unbeaten for the Grecians will provide a small boost to moral, but no win in 6 games remains a worry for Exeter fans.

Exeter City 1		Portsmouth 1
01 Krysiak		40 Carson
02 Butterfield		15 Alfei
03 Woodman		14 Painter
04 Bennett		17 Shorey
05 Baldwin		05 Devera
06 Coles		26 Chorley
07 Sercombe		19 Fogden
29 Grimes		31 Racon
20 Nichols		32 Jervis
22 Keohane		20 Taylor
11 Davies		11 Holmes
Substitutes		Substitutes
08 Oakley		01 Smith
14 Richards		06 Bradley
15 Moore-Taylor		07 Barcham
19 O’Flynn		08 Padovani
25 Parkin		13 Ertl
30 Pym		23 Agyemang
32 Wheeler		35 Wallace
Goals
Exeter City		Sercombe 90′
Portsmouth		Jervis 9′
Substitutions
Exeter City		Moore-Taylor on for Bennett 45′, Richards on for Baldwin 45′, Wheeler on for Keohane 75′
Portsmouth		Bradley on for Devera 46′, Agyemang on for Jervis 80′, Barcham on for Holmes 78′
Discipline
Exeter City
Portsmouth		Yellow Card for Painter
Ref: Gary Sutton
Att: 5,221 of which 1442 were Pompey fans
Match Stats
ECFC		PFC
51%	Possession	49%
12	Shots	11
5	On target	4
6	Corners	3
13	Fouls	8
0	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	0

Links

Match Reports
Exeter City – http://www.exetercityfc.co.uk/fixtures-results/match-report/index.aspx?matchid=3632348
Portsmouth – http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/fixtures-results/match-report/index.aspx?MatchId=3632348

YouTube Highlights – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx2jADOSO0g
Cheggers Pics – exeter%20city%20vs%20portsmouth%20lge%20two

Quotes

Paul Tisdale talking about the draw:-

It was brilliant game where the atmosphere was fantastic, under really difficult conditions. I’m really proud of the way my team played and delighted that we got that deserved goal at the end.

Against the wind in that first half, we were terrific.  We had three or four opportunities in that six-yard box where we didn’t quite get that touch on it or get to the rebound, and that seemed to go on to the second half.

We had two or three crosses where we didn’t quite get on the end of it; we had a rebound off the goalkeeper where they didn’t quite get on the end of it. You get so many chances, and you’ve got to put it in the net – as much as we say ‘that was unlucky’ and ‘that was close’, it can’t be a coincidence – you have to put it in the net.

Ultimately they are good young players and they are going to be a really good team.  But they have to put it in the net, and I’m just so pleased they managed to do it and I for one was jumping around at the end.”

The game is about keeping your head and doing the right thing, and that needed nothing clever or nothing fancy – just a good strong side-foot that to hit the target and make them save it.  He hit the target with a solid side-foot – he didn’t try and blast it, and it took a tiny deflection and whizzed past their ‘keeper.  It was exactly what was needed.

Portsmouth defender Sonny Bradley on the last minute equaliser:-

It’s heartbreaking because we’d played so well for 90 minutes. I thought it would be a game of two halves because of the wind, but it didn’t really turn out that way.

We had a few chances and they had a few chances, but we probably should have put the match to bed. We had good opportunities that could have been put away and then it would have been game over, but that hasn’t happened.

You can’t afford to switch off at the end. The shot’s come in, has taken a deflection and unfortunately it’s gone in. I dealt with most things well, but that won’t stop me feeling disappointed with the result.

New boy Eliott Richards on the game:-

I think my footballing style suits Exeter down to the ground. It’s about getting the ball on the ground and passing which is what I like to do, and hopefully score some goals. I’ve got a good record and I like coming down to play on this pitch as it’s normally really good.  Unfortunately I didn’t get that goal today but hopefully I will get a few more towards the end of the season.

We kept digging in the second half, and kept going and going.  Getting a goal in the last 30 seconds makes it a lot nicer to go home with a draw rather than a loss.

I had a call on Thursday and came down on Friday to train with the lads that morning – so I’ve not had a lot of time with the lads yet, but it’s been good.

I’m just going to focus on the next three months – it’s only a loan until the end of the season, and hopefully if I do well and Exeter want to keep me on, they’ll be more than welcome.