Portsmouth's remarkable survival story: Let's enjoy today, tomorrow's recriminations can wait

As the champions were crowned at a cacophonous Coventry Building Society Arena, suddenly a new voice joined in with celebrations.

With Oxford United’s 1-0 defeat to Wrexham confirmed in the 94th minute of the ongoing match, the 1,638 travelling Pompey fans erupted, contributing their own emotional scenes, albeit for wildly contrasting reasons.

In that moment, there was unbridled joy, an outpouring of relief. No mentions of Michael Eisner, no debate over wage bills, not even any anger at the abject 5-1 hammering they had just witnessed. Merely delight at securing Championship status for another season.

There will be time for recriminations and retribution - and rightly so. A purple patch of five games from mid-March cannot be allowed to mask another tough campaign for the Blues at a level the club feels it belongs.

No pleasure can be gleaned from yearly relegation dogfights, irrespective of emerging triumphant from battle over the last two years, curiously with two games to spare on both occasions.

Appeared doomed at Loftus Road

Still, the necessary inquest can be scheduled for another day. At present, it’s worth breathing in the glorious fresh air of Championship football and acknowledging a remarkable turnaround in fortunes. Let’s enjoy today, tomorrow can wait.

Perhaps fittingly, survival was achieved precisely a month to the day after that Loftus Road debacle. A dreadful display in which John Mousinho’s men looked destined for League One football next season.

Granted, every goal attempt mustered by QPR on that miserable Saturday afternoon found the Blues’ net, demonstrating remarkable efficiency. Yet the 6-1 loss highlighted selection mistakes, recruitment issues, form problems and, unforgivably, a startling lack of fight.

Amid the humiliation, Ebou Adams wept at the final whistle, albeit partly influenced by suffering a knee injury, while the post-match inquest inside Pompey’s changing room lasted 45 minutes.

With eight games remaining and a Blues side clutching one point from six matches, they now found themselves precariously positioned one point above the relegation zone. Understandably, the vast majority of the Fratton faithful feared the Championship stay was over.

What unfolded, however, was remarkable, further enhancing Mousinho’s blossoming reputation as a rising young head coach of impressive quality.

Crucial timing of international break

Following a gruelling schedule of nine games in five weeks, the arrival of the international break offered the cherished opportunity for Pompey’s players to catch their breath, mentally as well as physically.

Meetings were held, Mousinho and his coaching staff plotted the implementation of a more direct playing style, while Andre Dozzell and Keshi Anderson marked their long-awaited returns from injury.

Returning to action with a 1-1 draw at Norwich, just 16 days later they had amassed 11 points from a possible 15, including three successive wins and three consecutive clean sheets.

There have been fine margins in the relegation scrap during that period, which thankfully Pompey have finished the right side of.

For instance, down to 10-men and losing 2-1 against Oxford at Fratton Park earlier this month, a result which would have seen the U’s leapfrog above the Blues, nudging them into the drop zone.

Then Dozzell, on his first start following an eight-game absence with a foot injury, grabbed an 88th-minute leveller from Milli Alli’s cross to claim a 2-2 draw.

The following match at Middlesbrough, Pompey were destined to drop into the bottom three, despite a gutsy, hard-earned goalless draw at the promotion hopefuls.

Then, in the 97th minute, Conor Chaplin grabbed a fortuitous winner after Adrian Segecic’s volley had deflected off his knee. It was the Blues’ first shot on target, having originated from their second corner. An outrageous smash and grab.

Two weeks in the Championship bottom three all season

Curiously, embroiled in a season-long battle to remain in the Championship, Mousinho’s men would actually occupy the bottom three for just two weeks of the campaign - from November 29 until December 13.

Meanwhile, there was also the emergence of the potential lifeline that West Brom could be deducted points for an alleged breach of profit and sustainability rules in the 2024-25 campaign.

At the time, Mousinho shrugged off such developments, insisting on focusing purely on Pompey’s pursuit of safety rather than issues maybe impacting relegation rivals: ‘It’s just completely irrelevant to us at the moment’. How right he was.

Coventry may have inflicted a first defeat in six matches since Loftus Road - and by a crushing margin - yet the Blues would secure safety regardless, thanks to Josh Windass’ first-half goal for Wrexham.

A month ago, a section of the 1,760 travelling support at Loftus Road sang: ‘We’re going down with the Wednesday’. Gallows humour at its hardest hitting.

Now Pompey are eyeing the possibility of a tantalising first visit to West Ham’s London Stadium or potentially welcoming Spurs to Fratton Park. Remarkable.

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