Boss Paul Jewell says he won’t make any rash changes to his side when Portsmouth visit Portman Road on Saturday despite Tuesday’s 2-0 loss to league leaders QPR. The Town manager, who will have to make one change with Colin Healy out injured, has generally been pleased with his side’s recent performances but feels they can do better in front of goal.

Jewell says there’ll be no overreaction in the wake of the defeat or either goal: “You’re always going to concede goals. One person making a mistake isn’t the end of the world.

“We’re disappointed but I think it’s a bit hasty to start talking about changes for that reason. If you analyse the performance, not an awful lot went wrong, the only thing was we didn’t finish them off.

“We didn’t want half-time to come, it came and it broke up our rhythm a little bit. After the break, they had lots of long throws and corners and they’re always going to be danger because they’re a bigger team than us.

“We were disappointed to concede the goal but to start considering what went wrong and making wholesale changes is a bit silly really.”

Despite netting six times at Doncaster last week, a lack of a cutting edge remains Jewell’s main concern: “I’m not just blaming my strikers, for all the possession we’ve had, and we’ve played some really attacking football, we’ve just not worked the goalkeeper.

“In the last two games, which we’ve dominated for large periods against Hull and QPR, our possession stats were by far above theirs, we’re just not working the goalie enough and it’s something we can put right.”

The Blues boss is not just looking for goals from his strikers but from all over the pitch, including the central defenders at set pieces. Ultimately though, he feels he will have to splash some cash to net a more prolific frontman: “This season we haven’t got one player who is going to get us 20 or 25 goals.

“That’s what we’re looking for, I think we all know we need a proven goalscorer and hopefully we can do that that next season to go along with the quality we already have here.

“They don’t come cheap. Whether the finance is there is the million dollar question or two million dollar question. But that’s one area where, to be brutally honest, we need to improve upon if we’re going to go forward.”

Jewell believes Pompey will feel they should be higher up the table given the players at their disposal: “They’re a strong team. Looking at their team on paper, I guess they’ll be disappointed with their season so far because they’ve got a lot of quality and Premier League experience there.

“I know they had a turbulent start with the off-field stuff, but I think they’ll finish strongly and be comfortably in the top half of the table.

“We’ll have to match them on Saturday, match their power and try to create chances and score more goals.”

Jewell is likely to continue with Márton Fülöp in goal despite his error on the first goal on Tuesday, with Brian Murphy not yet near to a return after his broken ankle: “He’s still a while off, he’s training and his pot’s off but he’s not training full time, he’s still working with the physios.”

The back four will probably remain the same with Gareth McAuley and Damien Delaney in the centre, Carlos Edwards on the right and Mark Kennedy on the left.

In midfield, skipper David Norris probably won’t be risked despite being close to a return from his ankle injury. The midfielder was due to be assessed today, but it seems likely that Andy Drury will take the place of Colin Healy, who is out with a torn stomach muscle.

Grant Leadbitter, who will continue as stand-in captain if Norris doesn’t return, and Jimmy Bullard will be in the other central midfield roles.

Connor Wickham will be on the left and Lee Martin on the right, although they are likely to switch throughout the game, while Jewell will have to decide whether to stick with Jason Scotland or recall Tamás Priskin as his lone central striker.

The Blues boss may feel that Scotland, who picked up a knock when clattered by QPR keeper Paddy Kenny on Tuesday, might need a rest having started two games in a week and the Hungarian could get the nod instead.

Jewell says Alan Quinn, out all season with a groin injury which has required two operations, is finally making progress: “He’s not too far off Quinny, he was training this morning with the physios and he’s OK.”

Pompey boss Steve Cotterill says he has gradually built a team over the course of the season: “We’re four games unbeaten and have won the last three, and that’s a credit to the lads who have put the shifts in and their bodies on the line.

“We’ve had a few up and down times this season, but all in all the players have been different class. So there’s a big ‘thank you’ from me to them over what they’ve given me over the season.

“It’s testament to the permanent boys that the loan lads have been so welcomed into the dressing room.

“I think the hallmark to this recent run has been gelling as a team. Look at the side the other night against Crystal Palace. Jamie Ashdown, Hayden Mullins and David Nugent were the only ones that started the first game of the season with us. So we’ve ended up building a new team during the season.

“In the last few weeks Greg Halford has gone into central defence with Ricardo Rocha, Hermann Hreidarsson has returned after a serious injury and Ritchie De Laet, Jonathan Hogg and David Cotterill have come on loan. So we’ve built a new team during the season.

“And it’s amazing how far Joel Ward has come in such a short space of time. He’s ended up playing a lot of games.”

The one-time Cheltenham, Stoke and Burnley boss, who has refused to make any new comment on David Norris's situation, expects a difficult afternoon in Suffolk: “It will be a tough game because they’ve been on a decent run. Ipswich is an excellent club and I always enjoy going there.

“They’ve been decent at the back this season. Grant Leadbitter is a very good footballer. The young boy Connor Wickham is going to have a bright future in the game, Jason Scotland is good at this level, they’ve got the likes of Jimmy Bullard on loan and Carlos Edwards at right-back. They’re good all over the pitch.”

Pompey, in 15th, two places and one point behind the Blues, have won their last three games without conceding having previously gone 10 matches without a victory in all competitions.

Portsmouth’s highest-paid player, defender Tal Ben Haim, is currently not being selected for what chief executive David Lampitt describes as “legal and employment” reasons.

Veteran striker Nwankwo Kanu should be back with Cotterill’s squad after missing Tuesday night's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace having returned to Nigeria for personal reasons. Midfielder Liam Lawrence has a torn calf muscle and is a big doubt.

Historically, Town have won 17 (16 in the league), drawn 11 (11) and lost 10 (eight) against Portsmouth.

In September, the sides drew 0-0 at Fratton Park. Defender Darren O'Dea missed a good first half opportunity and skipper David Norris hit the post in the second as both teams came close to breaking the deadlock in a game which probably deserved to end level.

The sides most recently met at Portman Road in two FA Cup third round ties, both won 1-0 by Pompey. In 2006 Dario Silva netted the game’s only goal, then two years later, after referee Mark Halsey had harshly red-carded Liam Trotter, one-time Town loan target David Nugent scored the winner.

In the league, the teams haven’t faced one another on Suffolk soil since Portsmouth’s 2002/03 Championship-winning season when the Blues won 3-0 at Portman Road in April.

Pompey fans were already celebrating their title on the terraces (and the roof of the Cobbold Stand executive boxes) as Martijn Reuser, Tommy Miller and Pablo Couñago lashed in the goals in the first half hour.

Hermann Hreidarsson is the only former Blue in the Portsmouth squad, although Jim Magilton made numerous attempts to sign David Nugent — who has scored every time he has played at Portman Road - on loan during his time as Town manager. No current member of Paul Jewell’s squad has previously played for Pompey.

Town are expecting a crowd in excess of 22,000 for the game with season ticket holders able to purchase tickets for friends at reduced prices.

Saturday’s referee is Scott Mathieson from Cheshire, who has shown 59 yellow and two red cards in 24 games so far this season. Mathieson’s last Town match was the 3-0 victory over Cardiff on Ninian Park’s final day, former manager Roy Keane’s first match in charge of the Blues.

Squad from: Fülöp, Lee-Barrett, Edwards, Kennedy, Delaney, McAuley, Smith, O’Dea, Norris, Leadbitter, Bullard, Drury, Hyam, Martin, Wickham, Peters, Civelli, Priskin, Scotland.

Story syndicated from TWTD.co.uk

Photo: Action Images

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