Pompey pitch under scrutiny
Wednesday, 5th Mar 2014 20:59 by pompey-fans.com staff

Would a better Fratton Park pitch bring better football from Pompey?

Wes Fogden, for one, seems to think so, telling The News he is hopeful fans will see more performances like the one the Blues turned in at Chesterfield when the home surface becomes smoother.

Pompey have long been a team who have struggled for fluency on winter pitches - that was true last season and it's been the case again this time.

Fogden said: The pitches haven’t helped with wanting to play football. Coming from Bournemouth, they were known for keeping it on the deck.

‘It’s been a bit of an adjustment, really, to the pitches and how we’ve been playing. But, on a decent surface on Monday, it showed we can play football. Hopefully, we can continue to do that.

‘Hopefully, we can get our pitch right and that will help us. Hopefully, the rain will be laying off as we go further into March and the pitch will start firming up a bit.

‘Down one side of Fratton, it’s very difficult to play at the moment. But once the pitches are okay we can play football. I guess, when the pitches aren’t great, we have to show we can battle it out.’

Drier weather this week should see a better deck prepared for Saturday's clash with Cheltenham - although two games in four days, with Burton visiting on Tuesday night, may not help matters.

Is the state of Pompey's pitch a cause for concern - and a fair excuse for some of the team's home performances this season?