Portsmouth 1 Fleetwood 1: Neil Allen's verdict - Fratton faithful get that losing feeling after hugely unsatisfactory point

Yet undeniably there was a pervading stench of defeat around Fratton Park on Saturday.

Fleetwood hadn’t conquered Danny Cowley’s men, of course they hadn’t, the outcome was 1-1, spoils shared, honours even, or whatever cliche can be dredged up to explain such a scenario.

However, for the Blues, it felt like a loss. A frustrating, unsatisfactory loss, met with a smattering of boos at the final whistle and general disgruntlement.

Perhaps it reflects the levels of expectation established so early into the campaign, the consequence of a bar being hoisted so high during the opening two months that it earnt its head coach a Sky Bet accolade.

Nonetheless, Fleetwood didn’t merely signify two points dropped, this was no surface impact, it bore far deeper than that.

There can be no toasting another point added to an encouraging tally, instead it’s disappointment over failure to beat the Cod Army and the half-hearted manner of a second half which petered out to a draw long before the final whistle.

As Danny Cowley admitted in the game’s aftermath, if the Blues want to be successful, sides like Fleetwood must be dispatched, particularly when faced at Fratton Park.

The opposition manager, Scott Brown, rightly may hold up Plymouth, Derby, Wigan, Wycombe, Peterborough and Charlton as evidence of their quality this season, having avoided defeat against all.

Yet on Saturday, they never threatened to claim Pompey’s scalp, certainly the Fratton faithful weren’t fearful of a first home defeat in 16 matches.

Frustration solely emanated from the Blues’ inability to claim victory from a fixture they would have targeted as winnable, with the greatest of respect to Fleetwood and their travelling 91 supporters.

Cowley’s men had previously drawn to Plymouth and lost at Ipswich, tough games on paper and in real life – now they were faced with a side 12th in the table with three league wins all season.

Victory was a realistic ambition, a prized opportunity to instantly return to winning ways following Portman Road defeat and maintain pressure at the top of the table, particularly having played two games fewer than some.

Over the duration of the encounter, Pompey struck the post, hit the bar, had one goal ruled out and Owen Dale headed over from four-yards out as the three points escaped them.

Arguably that highlights package paints an inaccurate picture of proceedings, for after 57 minutes the hosts barely mustered a reasonable attack, allowing Fleetwood a comfortable finale.

Not even a grandstand finish to lift the 18,271 crowd, with only the performance of referee James Oldham able to retain any semblance of connection with the game. He was also overwhelmingly the chief source of the final-whistle boos.

The Blues were at their finest in the opening 45 minutes, dominating and dictating play, lit up by the impressive Josh Koroma, emphatically their outstanding attacking player of the afternoon.

A 1-1 draw at half-time felt an injustice based on the balance of play. Pompey should have established considerable distance, such was their strong display during that period.

There was a goal ruled out because the referee adjudged a free-kick had been taken too quickly, a superb save from Jay Lynch to deal with Koroma’s deflected shot, Dale somehow heading a Koroma cross over, Dane Scarlett’s appeals for a penalty, and Michael Morrison’s back header striking the outside of the far post.

To add to the irritation, the visitors’ leveller had arrived from one of only two decent attacks – a corner appallingly defended by the Blues.

But other than Marlon Pack’s tremendous 30-yard drive striking the bar just before the hour mark, Cowley’s troops offered very little in the second half, instead allowing the game to escape their grasp.

And, with inevitability, the inquest begins, chiefly centred on the full-back positions, with the first-choice left-back operating at right-back, the only natural left-footed centre-half selected at right-back, and two right-footers in the centre of defence.

Clearly there is a defensive imbalance although, as pointed out by Cowley afterwards, even having four centre-halves on the pitch failed to prevent Fleetwood’s shambolic equaliser in the 15th minute.

Danny Andrew received the ball back after initiating a short corner from the right, before pumping it high into the box, met with jeers from some home supporters as the cross threatened to drift harmlessly over.

However, Toto Nsiala retrieved the situation by heading the ball back across goal from the far post, and there was the unmarked Carlos Mendes Gomes to head home from close range to make it 1-1.

A terrible goal to concede, with disappointment matched by disbelief following a blistering start by a rampant Pompey in which Koroma had opened the scoring with another stunning strike.

In the seventh minute, keeper Lynch’s clearance was intercepted by Pack and then picked up by Dale, who pushed the ball out to the left where the Huddersfield loanee was lurking.

With time and space, Koroma took a touch as he drove forward before unleashing a curling right-footed effort from the edge of the D which found the far top corner of the net in front of the Fratton End.

That’s goal number four in six matches for the deadline day arrival, who had kept his place in a side unchanged from the one which tasted maiden League One defeat this season at Ipswich.

Indeed, merely the substitutes altered for Fleetwood’s visit, with Joe Pigott back from being ineligible and replacing Ryan Tunnicliffe on the bench.

A reminder also that, despite Tunnicliffe and Kieron Freeman impressing with their commitment and attitude in the midweek 5-0 demolition of Aston Villa Under-21s, they are well off the pace in terms of squad selection in the league.

Meanwhile, Zak Swanson was the only full-back cover on the bench, while the much-missed Joe Rafferty and Tom Lowery watched the match from the South Stand as their absence continues.

Cowley would employ five substitutes in an attempt to drag out victory, although a hamstring concern saw Michael Jacobs overlooked, but there was no reversing the tide of ordinariness towards a wholly unsatisfactory point.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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