Portsmouth 0 Burnley 0: Neil Allen's verdict - The five-and-a-month wait is over at last. Blues finally have their backbone
The snapping of the Fratton faithful’s increasingly-fraying patience can be traced back to the opposition goalkeeper’s latest bout of histrionics.
Having claimed Conor Shaughnessy’s header with ease, James Trafford proceeded to roll theatrically around the floor pleading for emergency treatment to deal with a deadly dose of cramp.
By remarkable coincidence in that dramatic 69th minute, those plucky surviving 10 members of the Clarets’ side headed en masse towards Scott Parker for a team talk in a scene akin to the Pied Piper tootling away.
The latest tiresome stalling antics prompted fed-up Pompey fans to strike up a rendition of ‘Boring, boring Burnley’, which swiftly snowballed in volume.
Never a truer word spoken to jest, or, in this instance, sung. Repeatedly too, as the Fratton Park clash petered out into a goalless draw.
Tellingly, referee David Webb had warned Trafford and his two central defenders about time-wasting as early as the 33rd minute, following yet another painfully-slow delivery of a goal kick.
Burnley’s mission to secure an instant Premier League return has been constructed upon a miserly defence, including talented goalkeeper Trafford, amassing an incredible 20 clean sheets in 30 matches.
That staggering backbone has helped position them in third place, five points adrift of Championship leaders Leeds, thereby demonstrating the effectiveness of such an uninspiring approach.
Still, no point in getting sniffy over a promotion-chasing side which have so far produced 10 goalless draws this season. In all honesty, Pompey would relish possessing similar belligerence at the back. Their Championship future could even depend on it.
Yet on Saturday there was a tantalising glimpse that perhaps, just perhaps, John Mousinho’s men can indeed follow the Clarets’ lead, certainly defensively.
The pairings have, on occasions, contained a right back, a central midfielder, and two genuine centre-halves who couldn’t even make Saturday’s squad primarily for selection reasons.
Unsurprisingly, the outcome is the second-worst defensive record in the Championship, trailing only to rock bottom Plymouth - yet it appears help is finally at hand.
In fit-again Shaughnessy and loanee Atkinson, who encouragingly has now completed successive 90 minutes, the Blues now boast two characters who can finally introduce the resilience so glaringly absent from Mousinho’s side.
A natural right-foot and left-foot pairing, both highly experienced, dominant in the air, excellent in the tackle and hugely comfortable on the ball, how Pompey’s head coach has long craved such luxury.
It has taken 30 games to bring together a first-choice centre-half partnership. Shaughnessy and Atkinson now potentially have 16 matches together to aid the Blues’ ongoing relegation battle. Providing they can avoid injury, of course.
Backed up by newcomer Hayden Matthews, who made his second appearance on Saturday after coming off the bench, and Regan Poole closing in on a return and suddenly the strength of that particular position is transformed.
Bar two comfortable saves from Nicolas Schmid within a couple of first-half minutes, and a little controversy over Andre Dozzell clearing off the line, the Blues’ rearguard comfortably held Burnley at bay.
The Dozzell incident arrived in the 75th minute, with Lucas Pires’ shot crashing against the chest/belly/arms of the midfielder, who afterwards didn’t quite know himself. Still, he was certain it wasn’t a penalty and, thankfully, referee Webb agreed.
At the other end, Pompey marginally had the better opportunities in the match and may have felt a little disappointment at merely a point in the end.
Matt Ritchie perhaps should have done better in the first half after a lovely Callum Lang pass put him through down the right-hand side of the box, but, after taking a touch with his right foot, his subsequent left-footed shot was well wide.
Another glorious opportunity also fell to him in the second half after Josh Murphy’s excellent ball in from the left was pushed out by Trafford, leaving Pompey’s veteran to follow-up into an empty net.
Or so he thought, with Burnley’s keeper swiftly clambering to his feet and producing a brilliant point-blank block to somehow deny Ritchie and deflect the ball clear.
There was one more chance, however, when, deep into stoppage-time, the ball fell invitingly to Colby Bishop inside the box and he rattled off a right-footed shot which cleared the crossbar and entered the Fratton End.
The striker should have at least hit the target. Instead he had spurned the final meaningful attacking moment of a match largely short of genuine goal-scoring openings, leaving Pompey fans to mulling over what could have been.
Burnley returned home having registered an eighth successive clean sheet in the league. Yet it was the Blues’ sixth shut-out of the season which carried far greater value.
Now, five-and-a-half months into the season, Pompey finally possesses a first-choice centre-half pairing and a defensive backbone. My goodness they’ve been patient.