Pompey fans have long learned to take pleasure in small mercies. This result, against relegation rivals, extended their unbeaten run at home to five games, a minor statistical victory in the scheme of things, but something to cling to as the club circle the whirlpool of another financial meltdown. Joel Ward's smart second-half winner was enough to secure three points at the end of a miserable week.
On Tuesday the company that owns Portsmouth, Convers Sports Initiatives, was placed into administration. Vladimir Antonov, the 80% owner of CSI, who has been arrested for alleged fraud and could face extradition to Lithuania, resigned as the club's chairman. The full extent of the damage is not yet clear ? Southampton were docked 10 points after their parent company went into administration two years ago, but the Football League is waiting for the full facts before making a decision on their neighbours.
With Pompey clear of the relegation zone by only three points even after this result, they may well need all the buffer they can muster.
In the end, Portsmouth were able to cast aside the off-field uncertainty ? the chief executive, David Lampitt, has already had to assure players that they will be paid this month ? and should probably have won by a more comfortable margin. "Myself and the players can't affect anything whatsoever that goes on off the pitch," said the Portsmouth manager, Michael Appleton, for whom this was a first win. "We're aware of what's going on and the difficulties the club finds itself in, but from my point of view it was about making sure the morale of the club was spot on, that our preparation and organisation for the game was right and I think it was."
The Portsmouth manager had been in the position, his first as a No1, for only 15 days when news of CSI's problems broke and has already felt the effects of the brewing financial storm, with a move to sign Hampton and Richmond's 17-year-old prospect Dan Thompson, who has attracted Premier League interest, put on ice. Baptism of fire? This could end up being more like a dunking in a volcano. Still, Coventry were initially accommodating visitors. After 20 minutes Joe Murphy's misjudgment of a trundling through ball allowed Ward to nip in, only to be pulled down by the goalkeeper. Greg Halford coolly scored from the spot.
Life has hardly been all beer and skittles for Andy Thorn in his first managerial role either ? fans are not enamoured of the current owners, on Friday the chairman Ken Dulieu resigned to, rather oddly, focus more of his efforts on on-field matters, and they are now rooted to the foot of the table. It was a surprise, then, when Lukas Jutkiewicz crashed home an equaliser from Richard Wood's cross early in the second half.
Less of a surprise was that they were level for barely four minutes. The visitors were caught napping from a quick free-kick and Ward drilled home a fizzing low drive. A frustrated Thorn post-match variously described his side's defending as "atrocious", "a disgrace", "rubbish", "weak-minded", "schoolboy" and "like something out of a circus".
The goal sparked a frantic finale with Coventry pouring forward and Pompey missing chances on the break. Quite how one of Ward, Erik Huseklepp, David Norris, Luke Varney and Gary McSheffrey (twice) failed to add the scoreline is something of a mystery. As it was Coventry were dumped to the bottom, while Pompey now turn nervously back to the money men.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/dec/03/portsmouth-coventry-city-championship
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