Report by George Elek

On Saturday 8^th August 2009 I left the Kassam Stadium with that feeling that the club I love was on the verge of something pretty special. We had just scored twice in injury time to beat York 2-1 and that set the tone for what was, eventually, a memorable campaign ending at Wembley. I have to admit that I have a similar feeling now having watched what, simply put, was one of the best performances I have seen from an Oxford outfit in all the years I have watched them. Except for the first 30 minutes, but we can ignore them.

This was meant to be a momentous occasion for Portsmouth; a symbol of the end of their years of woe after the fans bought the club and ended the financial hell that caused their plummet from Europe to League 2. The tormentor may have changed from Ronaldinho to Alfie Potter, but the game itself did not prove to be light at the end of the tunnel as Pompey fans had hoped. In the main stand before kick-off a card display read “OURS” across the stand. It was impressive and a reminder that, regardless of what happens on the pitch, Portsmouth has turned a corner off it. They now just have to hope they don’t come across as well-drilled and clinical opponents Oxford proved to be every week.

It was Portsmouth who took control of the game early on. Oxford struggled to string two passes together and, to be honest, looked in real trouble. Simon Ferry pulled the strings in midfield and Portsmouth kept the ball well without ever really threatening Oxford’s goal. The back four looked solid, but Oxford offered very little going forward. The first chance did fall to a yellow shirt as the ball came loose outside the area only to fall to the one man you didn’t want to meet it. Andy Whing duly chipped the ball straight at Sullivan; only a half chance but a sign of things to come. Before Oxford had time to press on from this opening the massive Patrick Ageymang opened the scoring with a header from a decent Barcham cross. Whing stood off the provider when he should have got a foot in, but we’ve seen enough of the ginger enforcer to know that this was an uncharacteristic mistake and nothing to worry about.

Going a goal down was a blessing for the yellows who then had to try get a grip on the game. Two quick goals was the answer. The first came from some Alfie magic as he beat his man on the halfway line and raced down the wing to put in a ball to Smalley whose expert touch took it away from the defenders then to spin and fire home from close range. It was a real goalscorers finish and hopefully a sign of things to come. Anyone who doubts Potter’s end product should really watch this goal and feel pretty foolish. He should then stay tuned for the next as Potter turned scorer a couple of minutes later. A magnificent Smalley header kept the ball in play as he shot down the left wing. At the byline he laid the ball back to Rigg who teed Potter up on the edge of the area. Alfie smashed it into the far corner with a quality finish. The Oxford fans went ballistic and were, once again, in dreamland. Half time came at a great time for Wilder’s team who were applauded off after what was 30 dodgy minutes followed by 15 crackers.

As the second half began Oxford continued their progress. Big Dave Kitson was everywhere, sticking out his long limbs to make some tackles that he had no right to win. Boos rang out when he was near the ball from the Pompey faithful, but this didn’t faze Kitson who put in a performance that Wilder has hailed as the best by a striker at the club in his time. Johnny Ertl’s red card for an elbow was likely a result of frustration at being totally outplayed by the clearly very fit Oxford. Portsmouth fans accused Rose of play-acting, even whilst the big gash above his ear was being patched up.

Two goals followed. Potter cut inside from the right, drifted past two men and stroked the ball home with his left peg. Potter turned provider again for Smalley soon after as he jinked his way to the byline and got a ball into Smalley who awkwardly rolled the ball into the back of the net. Potter, on this form, is unplayable and could be one of the biggest the threats in the league. Hunt was supporting him well and one got the impression that both Potter and Rigg will excel by having full backs supporting them and not over-lapping them. Both Hunt and Newey were impressive, whilst Wright and Mullins lived up to every superlative you could throw at them, the latter heading against the post from a perfect Hunt cross. Danny Rose was a busy bee in the middle of the park whose array of passing, both simple and ambitious, linked defense and attack magnificently.

Craddock came on to predictable boos for the hosts. The Oxford fans were in a great voice with the scream of “We are Oxford, We are Oxford, Wilder is our King” recurring. The gaffer will come under great scrutiny in the next few months, but people have to think back to this game to see that this squad has the potential to do something special this season. We will have bad runs and could well get thumped against Bury on Saturday, but Wilder has built something that clicked at Fratton Park. It was a joy to watch and a day to be proud to be wearing yellow. In the grand scheme of things it is only 3 points, but the bigger picture looks set-up for something pretty magical. Onto Charlton on Tuesday where Wilder has confirmed some of the young players will get some game time. Bring it on.