Next Up: Portsmouth Away

City’s season seems to be taking something of a familiar turn after a second successive home defeat to Burton on Saturday, and attention turns to a big away trip this weekend. When City played Portsmouth in a pre-season friendly just five years ago it was a case of welcoming the Premier League giants and FA Cup holders to the Park, now the two sides meet in a league match that probably has City installed marginally as favourites. Paul Tisdale is unlikely to shake the side up too much despite the disappointment of last week’s defeat, although the performances of a number of fringe players in the stunning U21 Cup win at Crystal Palace on Tuesday night will have given Tisdale some food for thought ahead of the trip along the south coast.

That Portsmouth play host to City in a League Two fixture having been revered as welcome guests in 2008 is down to one of the major financial implosion stories to hit English Football in recent years. Ownership wranglings, overspending and a dog’s bank account (allegedly) contrived to send Pompey into a spiral that appears to have finally bottomed out, the club’s Supporters’ Trust clinching ownership in the tail end of last season. Former goalscoring legend Guy Whittingham has been tasked with the Sisyphean task of getting Portsmouth back up the leagues, although despite having been installed amongst the pre-season favourites he has struggled to gain traction and sees his club enter November currently in 16th place. Experience is key, not least up front where players with top flight experience in Patrick Agyemang and David Connolly (when fit) will need to be watched. At the back will be a face familiar to Devon Football fans, Bondz N’Gala has contributed three goals to the cause.

Unsurprisingly given the respective histories of the two sides there have been few meetings over the years – the last was in the FA Cup 3rd round in January 1992 when Portsmouth won 2-1 at City. The last league meetings took place way back in 1982/83, Portsmouth winning 3-2 at Fratton Park with the return finishing 1-1. Portsmouth hold a comfortable head-to-head advantage in Football League matches, winning 9 times to City’s 2 with five draws.

Match Officials – http://www.exeweb.com/2013/10/30/match-officials-away-to-portsmouth/

Ticket Information (it’s all ticket for Exeter fans) – http://www.exeweb.com/2013/10/29/portsmouth-away-is-now-all-ticket/

Ground Guide – http://www.exeweb.com/2013/10/25/the-things-you-need-to-know-fratton-park/

What the Dickens? http://www.exeweb.com/2013/10/30/a-bleak-house-at-fratton-park/