'An even playing field': Portsmouth boss denies benefiting from Ipswich postponement as sides meet again
The original Fratton Park fixture was called off on January 4 due to a frozen pitch
A month is a long time. Certainly in the subsequent four weeks Pompey have become far better-placed to remain in the Championship.
Yet John Mousinho has dismissed suggestions the January 4 postponement against Ipswich has benefitted his side ahead of tonight’s re-match.
With the frozen Fratton Park pitch ruled unplayable by Leigh Doughty, an injury-hit Blues side reeling from a 5-0 hammering at Bristol City was granted a much-needed reprieve.
The rearranged match takes place tonight (7.45pm), with Pompey buoyed by a number of fresh additions to Mousinho’s side, plus a morale-boosting eight points from four games since the initial fixture.
Undoubtedly the arrivals of Ebou Adams, Millenic Alli, Keshi Anderson and Aji Alese have left the Blues with stronger options to now face the Tractor Boys.
Although Mousinho doesn’t necessarily agree.
He told The News: ‘It has been much more pleasing recently, we’ve looked a better outfit, we have definitely grown into the season, the new signings have obviously helped as well.
‘We’ve got a really, really tough test tonight against a very, very good Ipswich side. We’ve got to stay on top of ourselves and make sure we do as best we can.
‘I don’t know if we are now a better side than when we should have played them. We obviously had the Bristol City game, which we looked at and were really disappointed with.
‘However, on either side of that we played Charlton and then Arsenal. I thought we were excellent against Arsenal, so who knows if we had produced that sort of form against Ipswich.
‘We have strengthened in terms of the squad since then, but we have also lost a couple of players. We’ve lost a couple of players who would have played against Ipswich - and Ipswich have gained a couple of top-class Championship players.
‘It’s an even playing field of where we would have been on January 4.’
Since the postponed match, Pompey have won two and drawn two of their subsequent four fixtures.
That has significantly contributed to a run of one defeat in nine league games, which has lifted them four points clear of the Championship relegation zone.
And Mousinho has reflected on their improved run, which began with a 2-1 win over Blackburn on December 13.
Mousinho added: ‘We got to that stage where we went into the Blackburn game (December 13) and it was a critical time for us off the back of losing to Swansea.
‘We had been on a poor run of form, losing three on the spin. We’d been paying okay, we were okay that night against Swansea, but just didn’t create enough and that has probably been a big thing which has held us back.
‘Even in that run of games, we could have converted some of those draws into wins where we had played okay, we had stayed in games, we didn’t concede - but didn’t create enough at the top end of the pitch.’