Grecians prove slippery customers at Fratton
Tuesday, 29th Sep 2015 22:57 by pompey-fans.com staff

Well we can't say we were not warned. Paul Cook said after the win at Bristol Rovers that the nature of football meant Pompey would not win their two home games this week.

And they haven't, well not the first one, anyway. A well-organised Exeter side became the first team to beat the Blues in League Two this season with a 2-1 win under Fratton Park's new floodlights.

It was a frustrating night for Cook's team, who - as ever - had plenty of possession but who tested the Exeter goalkeeper precious few times.

By the time they did score, through Gary Roberts, we were well into three added minutes and there was not even time for another attack in search of an equaliser.

Exeter took the lead, well against the run of play, after 20 minutes. Pompey had already enjoyed three or four efforts on goal, which were either wide or blocked, when Danny Hollands was caught in possession in his own half by David Wheeler, who sped away and into the box before firing low under Aaron McCarey's dive.

After that Pompey failed to find the same fluency they had shown early on and it stayed 1-0 at the break.

Everyone expected a big Blues push towards the Fratton End after the break but before they had found much momentum, Pompey found themselves two down.

Claims for a free-kick for a foul on Gareth Evans in a Pompey attack were ignored - unusually for a fussy referee who gave plenty in the otherdirection - and as Exeter broke, Aaron Davies was on hand to nod in a loose ball after McCarey had only got a hand to a cross from the left.

After that Pompey had almost all the play but struggled to find a way past a well-organised and well-staffed back line, and when they did their finishing let them down.

Matt Tubbs, Gary Roberts and Michael Doyle all came on but none could find the answer to Exeter's questions, and when Roberts finally did get the ball in the net, we were into the third minute of injury time.

It was a disappointing loss, but the first league defeat was always going to come soon. The big test for Cook and his squad is how they respond against Yeovil on Saturday.

Pompey: McCarey; Davies, Burgess, Clarke, Stevens; Barton, Hollands (Doyle 81); Evans (Roberts 66), Chaplin (Tubbs 55), Bennett; Stockley. Subs not used: Bass, Webster, Atangana, Naismith

Referee: Nicholas Kinseley

Attendance: 15,822 (313 away fans)