Portsmouth fans make the jaunt to York City tomorrow hoping their team can maintain their unbeaten record away from home and get back to winning ways.
Team News
Yassin Moutaouakil is still banned and Joe Devera is still suffering from a hamstring injury that kept him out of last Saturday's defeat to Fleetwood. Shaun Cooper had a groin problem during the week but has recovered and should keep his place at right back.
Nigel Worthington has no new injury worries and may select the same side that drew at Wycombe last week having suffered four straight defeats beforehand.
The Match
Last weekend's performance at Fratton Park was unacceptable but Pompey are yet to taste defeat away from home in the league and the trip to York represents the perfect opportunity to get back to winning ways, with the home side having not won since the opening day.
Guy Whittingham came under much criticism for his team selection last week and it will be interesting to see how he reacts to that. He has hinted in the press that David Connolly won't be dropped but Jed Wallace may well be restored to the line up, perhaps in place of one of the wingers.
It will also be interesting to see if the Pompey manager decides to revert back to the 4-4-1-1 formation that yeilded a win at Burton or to stick with the basic 4-4-2 that saw his team muster just a single shot on target against Fleetwood.
A more attacking set up may well prove to be more fruitful at Bootham Crescent as the home fans seem to lack confidence in their team with the defence capable of errors if pressed hard enough. Pompey's wingers keeping the pressure on may well be the key to winning this game but the defence will have to stay alert to deal with York's inevitable hoofball.
Perhaps we might see what John Marquis is capable of if things aren't going too well. Not giving him any game time last week was a strange decision from the management given how much he had been talked up. It's time to see if he can walk the walk.
This is a huge game for Whittingham as many Portsmouth supporters will be thinking that anything but a win against the struggling Minstermen will be seen as a poor result. Fail to win this one and he will be under huge pressure so it's important that his players deliver the kind of performance you'd expect from them rather than the tepid dross witnessed last Saturday.
A repeat performance will see a long, miserable journey back home from North Yorkshire and the "Whittingham Out!" brigade grow ever stronger.
Predicted Starting Line-Ups
York
GK: Michael INGHAM
RB: Lanre OYEBANJO
CB: Danny PARSLOW
CB: David McGURK
LB: Ben DAVIES
RM: Tom PLATT
CM: Lewis MONTROSE
CM: Ryan BROBBEL
LM: Sander PURI
CF: Wes FLETCHER
CF: Ashley CHAMBERS
Pompey
GK: John SULLIVAN
RB: Shaun COOPER
CB: Sonny BRADLEY
CB: Bondz N'GALA
LB: Marcos PAINTER
RM: Jed WALLACE
CM: Johnny ERTL
CM: Simon FERRY
LM: Andy BARCHAM
CF: Patrick AGYEMANG
CF: David CONNOLLY
Last Time: York City 1 Portsmouth 0 (Division Four - 16/02/1980)
Derek Hood scored the only goal of the game as Frank Burrows's men couldn't find the net at Bootham Crescent.
My Prediction
Whittingham has some tough decisions to make but whatever team he picks should have the ability to defeat a York team that haven't won since beating Northampton on opening day.
York City 1 Portsmouth 2