A KNIGHT’S TALE ALAN KNIGHT MADE 801 APPEARANCES FOR POMPEY AND IS NOW CLUB AMBASSADOR
et’s face it, if football were L like most other industries, then it would have been
temporarily shut down after two or three teams from League One called off their games following positive Covid-19 tests. The fact that these clubs then had to justify the postponements is, quite frankly, a disgrace and suggested that these affected sides had ulterior motives. It appears that common sense and empathy is at an all-time low at a time when these qualities are needed most. Take Pompey as a prime example. They went top of the league following a splendid victory at today’s opponents Hull on a Friday evening just before Christmas. By the time the weekend was over, Jack Whatmough and a couple of other players has all tested positive for this terrible virus. Meanwhile, the government plunged the whole city into a tier
that had not even existed the previous day.
them of some nefarious scheme.
Naturally – and correctly – our next couple of league fixtures against Swindon and Bristol Rovers were both suspended. You then have to justify and explain why this has happened. When seven games fall by the wayside on one single day late in 2020, surely it is obvious. Perhaps the EFL could be a bit clearer on the issues, as a depleted AFC Wimbledon went ahead with their match against Lincoln, while others were called off at short notice. It would be good to have more consistency in proceedings, rather than have clubs fearing reprisals if they are unable to play. Particularly now that the whole country is in another lockdown, we should be taking people at face value, rather than demanding documentation and accusing
At the time when League One fixtures were getting postponed left, right and centre, there did not seem to be many cancellations in the fourth tier, despite coronavirus cases rising all over the country. Were these sides perhaps fearful of being deducted points or suffering other punishments and deciding to play on, despite any risk to health? When the Manchester City squad were affected, suddenly games being suspended warranted column inches and airtime in the national media. Little did I realise that the pandemic is apparently just as elitist as the football world. At a time when football requires strong leaders and a sense of compassion, we should be asking for our governing bodies to come up with stronger answers and not throw it back to the clubs to deal with.
ON THIS DAY JANUARY
23 1971 A last-gasp leveller from Mike Trebilcock (above) earned the Blues a 1-1 draw against Arsenal in an FA Cup fourth round contest that was watched by 36,659 at Fratton Park.
1990 Frank Burrows replaced John Gregory to begin his second spell as Pompey boss, having guided the club to Division Four promotion in his previous stint.
1999 Leeds gained revenge for their shock FA Cup defeat to the Blues two years earlier by cruising to a 5-1 victory on the south coast, with Luke Nightingale scoring a consolation for the hosts.
2010 Pompey continued on the road to Wembley with a 2-1 fourth round home victory over Sunderland, as a John Utaka (above) brace saw them recover from Darren Bent’s early opener.
2016 The Blues’ League Two promotion hopes suffered a setback, with Jordan Bowery’s debut goal ensuring Oxford left Fratton Park with all three points.
DID YOU KNOW? Barry Horne scored three goals for Pompey during the 1987/88 campaign and they all came portsmouthfc.co.uk @Pompey in the club’s only three away wins – at Norwich,17Southampton and Tottenham.
