McGurk's double gives Pompey overdue Cup win
Saturday, 7th Nov 2015 18:56 by pompey-fans.com staff

Pompey have won an FA Cup game for the first time in five-and-a-half years - but they didn't make it easy for themselves.

When Adam McGurk slid in to convert Kyle Bennett's through-ball just two minutes into the game, it looked like the Blues might be in for a comfortable afternoon. But an error by keeper Brian Murphy allowed Macclesfield to level.

McGurk got his second just before the break but couldn't kill off their National League visitors in the second half. Nevertheless, fans will be relieved at least to be through - with memories of their replay loss at Aldershot at this stage last season still in the memory.

With new loan striker Marc McNulty on the bench, Pompey made the perfect start by taking the lead two minutes in. Bennett's slide-rule pass was well-read by McGurk who stretched to slide it past the advancing Shwan Jalal.

Briefly, Pompey threatened to have the game won in the first few minutes but gradually Eastleigh got into their stride and began to contain Paul Cook's men.

A terrible error by Murphy gifted the Cheshire side an equaliser. Enda Stevens passed back to him but he took too long to clear and Kristian Dennis charged it down and the ball flew into the top corner, to the dismay of the home fans.

That put Pompey off their game for a while but they regained control, without perhaps testing Jalal as often as they might have done.

Conor Chaplin and McGurk both sent shots wide and both were involved just before the break when Stevens' cross was not dealt with by the visiting defence and McGurk finally shot past two men on the line to restore the lead and improve the half-time reception the players would have got from Cook.

The second half was frustrating for Pompey as they failed to find much fluency against limited opposition.

McNulty and Kai Naismith came on and the Sheffield United loanee looked sharp and a couple of times looked destined to go through and get the third, only to be denied by desperate defending and good goalkeeping.

Macclesfield sensed they could get a replay out of the tie and but for poor finishing, might have done so. But in the dying stages, there were few scares for the Blues and they can look forward to being in Monday's round-two draw.

Cook told The News afterwards: We weren’t good today. In patches in the first half I thought we were really good and created good chances but we just didn’t have that devilment in our play that the Cup can do.

‘The pleasing thing for us is we are in the hat - and that is the pleasing thing no matter what anyone says. But we are very, very disappointed in our performance.'