Portsmouth 2 Peterborough 1: Neil Allen's verdict - Something special is stirring as inspirational Fratton faithful demonstrate their unconquerable might

The stoppage-time lull offered a rare pause for breath, the fourth official having already declared five minutes to signify one final push from players and supporters unified.

Amid the brief calm in proceedings emerged a chant delivered by Peterborough’s travelling 802 supporters, revelling in finally being heard.

‘Is this a library?’ they sang, presumably without sarcasm.

Rather their damning perception of the south-coast atmosphere created over the previous 90 minutes during an entertaining League One encounter.

Excusing the usual tribalism rampant in football, it was still a curious take on the Fratton faithful’s vocal performance on an afternoon which delivered a powerful reminder of their collective might.

Indeed, Danny Cowley post-match declared it perhaps the loudest he’s heard during his time at the club, crediting the fans’ refusal to turn on their side after conceding on five minutes as a source of inspiration.

Michael Morrison was caught in two minds when asked to deal with Owen Dale’s routine pass and, facing his own goal, was criminally caught in possession by Jonson Clarke-Harris.

The Posh striker then unselfishly squared for Jack Marriott to apply a right-footed finish to open the scoring in the game’s infancy.

Yet there were no discernible groans, no abuse or chastising spat in the direction of a crestfallen Morrison, who had already received a consoling hand from Marlon Park and several other team-mates.

Instead the home fans cranked up their backing of Cowley’s men ahead of Pompey's kick-off, their voice louder, support unconditional. It was as if the goal had been a figment of all of our imagination.

The Fratton faithful at their finest – a classy moment which defined the off-pitch performance and inspired an on-pitch triumph in the Blues’ favour.

During the second half, boisterous renditions of ‘On our way’ and ‘I’m into something good’ reverberated around Fratton Park, emotional nods towards days of Michael Doyle, Gareth Evans, Danny Rose, Enda Stevens and Christian Burgess.

Yes, the Old Girl with 18,168 packed in for a full house and all stands now open for business looked – and sounded – glorious underneath the September sunshine.

Not to Peterborough followers’ exacting tastes mind, they clearly abide by a different sliding scale to judge football ground atmospheres. And good luck to them, everyone has an opinion.

Regardless, Saturday was a special afternoon at Fratton Park, capped by a 2-1 triumph over a talented Posh side to deliver an eye-catching statement to League One.

September offers a hugely testing fixture list for Cowley’s promotion pretenders, who entered their latest match top of League One.

They passed their opening examination impressively, albeit still being toppled from the summit following Ipswich’s 2-0 victory at Accrington in which Conor Chaplin registered and claimed an assist.

Courtesy of goal difference, it’s the Tractor Boys who lead seven matches in, with Kieran McKenna’s side and the Blues now the only undefeated teams in League One.

Plenty of the season and accompanying pitfalls lie in wait, nonetheless this represents a tremendously encouraging start from Cowley’s men who certainly would not have been considered genuine automatic promotion candidates before a ball had been kicked.

Still, optimism in the city is pronounced and was particularly strong on Saturday upon the return to Fratton Park following a fortnight away.

A successful transfer window which brought in 12 new faces, topped off by Josh Koroma’s dramatic deadline day arrival, has created a squad – and bench – which represents the strongest of the Cowley era.

Certainly attacking options of Colby Bishop and Dane Scarlett are levels above exasperating pair John Marquis and Ellis Harrison, who were supposed to seal that long-awaited Championship return.

Crucially, supporter belief was backed up by a strong Blues performance in which they shaded a tight, yet thoroughly captivating, match, primarily through the striking brilliance of Scarlett.

Certainly victory over one of the fancied sides which last term were in the Championship and will unquestionably be challenging for a return, would have sent reverberations around League One.

Yet it wasn’t merely the scoreline to savour, but the entire package. Fratton Park had its buzz back.

Cowley was forced to make once change to the side which claimed a 1-0 win at Port Vale in the previous league outing, with the partner of Connor Ogilvie having given birth at 4.15am on the day of the game.

The contingency plan was Clark Robertson, with the central defender asked to operate at left-back having worked on the switch in training on Friday.

With Denver Hume not ready to be considered, despite returning at Crawley in the Papa John’s Trophy on Tuesday evening following six months injured, Robertson was the sole alternative.

Any pre-match concerns over the surprise selection proved unfounded, however, with the 28-year-old performing admirably – and even creating Pompey’s equaliser.

Trailing to Morrison’s aforementioned mistake, on 37 minutes Tom Lowery played a free-kick wide to Robertson on the left, who delivered a delightful cross into the box.

There was Scarlett to meet it with a diving header in front of the Fratton End and the Blues had restored parity, deservedly so too.

Ronan Curtis had gone close with one shot, while also should have netted with a far-post header from four yards after good play from Dale, as Pompey searched for the leveller.

Urged on by a supportive crowd not interested in retribution and complaints over conceding early, it helped generate a fantastic first half of football between two good sides.

Admittedly, after the break, the game did dip in quality, nonetheless it took another eye-catching moment from Scarlett to settle the issue.

In the 70th minute, substitute Koroma, making his debut, fed the ball to the Spurs loanee, who, faced with a defender, drove a left-footed shot in at the near post to wrong-foot the helpless keeper.

It was a fourth goal in eight days for Scarlett, who has swiftly adjusted to first-team football and is now adding goals to initial rich promise in a Pompey shirt.

As for the Blues, that’s now 14 matches unbeaten in all competitions at Fratton Park, an outstanding run consisting of 11 wins and stretching back to February 8.

The Fratton faithful continue to play a pivotal role in promotion aspirations, as Peterborough discovered for themselves.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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