If you went back 15 years, a packed-out capacity crowd at Fratton Park would be watching players like Nwankwo Kanu and Nicolas Anelka do battle, as Portsmouth and Bolton fought it out for the European spots in the Premier League.
Skip forward to the present day, and although the glitz and glamor of England’s top flight has long gone for both, there’s no shortage of excitement on offer as these two sides once again meet on the South Coast in League One.
Pompey host the Lancashire club in a highly-anticipated match that could very much define both team’s campaigns, and subsequent promotion credentials, as the pair enter this clash sat first and second in the league.
By Nathan Evans
Since their relegation from the Premier League at the end of the 2009/10 campaign, when they finished rock-bottom of the standings, hosts Portsmouth have been through the mire. Not only did the club suffer the fate of administration in February that season, but following on from that, the 2008 FA Cup winners suffered two further relegations in the space of three years and dropped into League Two.
A 16th placed finish during the 2014/15 season in England’s basement division thankfully proved to be their lowest ebb, and since then, Portsmouth have consolidated themselves in League One, finishing in the top ten for the past six campaigns.
Since manager John Mousinho joined back in January, not only has he improved his side’s results, but he’s also offered Pompey’s loyal fanbase the chance to dream again.
His stint at the club has seen a transition from what was a much more rigid approach under former boss Danny Cowley, to a system that is heavily focused on keeping control in matches, as referenced by their average possession across league matches this campaign (57.9%) – the third-highest of any side.
On the pitch, that change of style has worked wonders at the start of the 2023/24 campaign, as Portsmouth have lost just one of their opening 19 league outings in England’s third tier. Their return of 42 points sees them enter this crucial clash sat top of the standings.
Pompey, additionally, top the charts in a number of other departments across League One. Their squad have combined to both create the most big chances (47) and record the most accurate crosses per match (6.4) offensively, whilst they have a not-so-secret weapon up front, in the form of Colby Bishop. In League One, the Portsmouth forward has netted 11 goals and holds a 25% conversion rate in front of goal as he looks to help fire his team to promotion.
The Hampshire club also possess the joint-meanest defence in the league heading into this matchday, conceding just 16 goals to this point, a league-low figure alongside play-off chasing Derby County. That back line has limited their opposition this season to chances worth just 19.6 xG in total – the fourth-lowest in the competition.
That’s a trend that will need to continue here if Mousinho and his Pompey side are to hold Bolton at bay on Monday though, who themselves look primed for a return to the Championship after five long seasons away. The away side too have had testing times, financially, in recent years, and have also graced League Two but like Portsmouth, they now seem to be on an upward trajectory.
The visitors make the long trip south sitting just three points shy of their opposition in second spot and with a game in-hand. They also know that sealing another win here would move them above Pompey on goal difference, for the time being.
Through the opening 20 match days of this League One season, no side have scored more than Bolton’s 37 goals, as the Wanderers remain an attacking force under manager Ian Evatt. Their clinical approach in front of goal can be best highlighted by the fact that they’ve far outranked their xG total of 27.7 – the second-biggest outperformance in the competition (after Wigan).
Striker Dion Charles has played a big part in that, equalling Bishop’s tally of 11 goals heading into this top-of-the-table showdown. His average of scoring 0.72 goals per 90 ranks him as one of the most deadly forwards in the competition at present, and he’s spoken ahead of this match about the faith his boss has shown in him since joining the club.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Charles said, “He brought me to this massive club when I was at a low point in my career and showed faith in me and I’ve proved him right that he made the right decision in bringing me in.”
He’s just one of the players at Bolton who have improved under Evatt’s guidance in recent years, with the club’s back line also performing well so far this season. Just like Portsmouth, the Trotters have looked tough to break down, conceding just 18 goals across their 18 league outings, of which only three have ended in defeat.
Everything considered, then, this match is not only the most anticipated game of the League One season to date, but also the first of two likely title deciders, in a promotion race that could go down to the wire.
(Images from IMAGO)
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