'Magnificent' - ITV pundit lauds Fratton Park atmosphere as Portsmouth edge Leeds United
Former Leeds favourite Stuart Dallas has lauded Pompey fans for the incredible atmosphere at Fratton Park.
The Blues completed a fantastic triumph against the league leaders, with Colby Bishop’s 61st-minute goal completing a 1-0 win at PO4.
It was an outstanding performance from John Mousinho’s side, who ended Leeds’ 17-game unbeaten run in the Championship, while continuing their impressive form on home soil.
The triumph also sees Pompey extend the gap to the relegation zone to 10 points as fears of relegation ease on the south coast.
The contest was played in front of a sell-out crowd and the television cameras and Dallas praised the phenomenal support from the Fratton faithful to get Mousinho’s men over the line.
Speaking after the game on ITV, the former Northern Ireland international also gave the Blues plenty of credit for sticking with the head coach as they edge closer to safety.
He said: ‘The club deserves huge credit for the belief they showed in him. I watched them at the first game of the season at Leeds when they came up. You go to Elland Road, the emotions are high, it was a crazy game at 3-3 and they weren’t quite able to build on that. I think it was two wins in 15 and the club could’ve easily got rid of him but they showed belief and faith in him.
‘They were fantastic today. The atmosphere here was absolutely incredible. Matt touched on it before the game, that’s as loud as I’ve heard a Championship ground this season and I go to Elland Road.
‘It is a much smaller ground but the fans were absolutely magnificent and you could see the players feeding off that with the energy, the passion and the will to win. They know how big of a result that is for them and it's a disappointing week for them.’
Pompey are back in action on Wednesday evening as the race for survival continues as they welcome rivals Plymouth to PO4.
Former Blues favourite Matt Taylor joined Dallas as a pundit on ITV and believes there will be a massive expectation from the Fratton faithful to follow up this afternoon’s impressive victory against the 23rd-placed Pilgrims in midweek.
He added: ‘What they need to do is take the energy this performance would’ve given the players against Plymouth.
‘They’ll be an expectation in this stadium of the result and the players are going to have to deal with that. Most people thought if Pompey got a draw then it would be a good result.
‘I can guarantee that the fans will be turning up here on Wednesday night after witnessing that performance today expecting their team to get three points. So it’s a different type of pressure but if they play anywhere near like they did today then they’ve got a great chance of getting three points again.’