'Fight and togetherness': Portsmouth man applauds powerful team response to QPR debacle
The Blues have collected successive late draws since the QPR hammering
Conor Shaughnessy is convinced Pompey’s batting Easter performance has been an impressive response to the QPR debacle.
Then, on Bank Holiday Monday, Andre Dozzell’s leveller two minutes from time earned John Mousinho’s 10 men a gutsy point in a 2-2 draw with relegation rivals Oxford United.
Indeed, the Blues had the numerical disadvantage from the 17th minute, following Connor Ogilvie’s controversial red card after a challenge on Stan Mills.
Nonetheless, despite trailing 2-1 by the 88th minute, shattered Pompey somehow fought back to claim a dramatic point as they continue to respond positively to that 6-1 Loftus Road mauling.
‘We showed fight and a real togetherness’
Shaughnessy told The News: ‘Obviously the red card changed the game. Being a goal up at that stage, I thought we were doing well and looking good with and without the ball. Then it makes it physically tough for us and was a bit of a roller-coaster from there on.
‘In the second half, we knew they were going to throw everything at us, we weathered the storm mostly. Coming away with a point with 10 men is not the worst.
‘I thought we coped brilliantly, we showed fight and real togetherness to get through it. We put our bodies on the line and pulled each other through it. We played with 10 men for a long time, but the boys really dug in.
‘We needed a response after QPR, it wasn’t good enough on that day. Now it’s not about playing pretty football or beautiful football, it’s about getting points on the board.
‘Slowly, but surely, we are doing that and you are seeing performances which will get points. You’ve seen that in the two games since.
‘Obviously we wanted to win this game beforehand, but, looking at the perspective of being down to 10 men from the 17th minute, it’s a point moving forward. A point on the board.’
Shaughnessy returned to the Blues’ starting XI in place of Madiodio Dia against Oxford, having been rested to the bench at Norwich.
That represented one of three changes against the U’s, with Dozzell and Keshi Anderson also named in John Mousinho’s line-up.
Anderson, marking his full debut for the Blues, put them ahead after just nine minutes - then eight minutes later Ogilvie saw red.
‘The ref could have made a better decision’
Shaughnessy added: ‘I haven’t yet seen it back, but, at the time, I thought he got the ball. Maybe he came over the ball, but I didn’t think it was a red card, it was a yellow at most.
‘Then in the second half (Brodie Spencer), the ref probably could have made a better decision in that moment.
‘On the pitch you feel decisions aren’t going your way and you are hoping that will change at some point in the game, but I don’t think it really did for us. We weren’t on the right side of those decisions. Sometimes that’s the case.
‘Maybe in the remaining matches that will level out and we’ll get the better of those decisions.’