Portsmouth 2, Middlesbrough 1

Sep 15 2008 by Jack Pickering, The Journal

THERE were two winners at Fratton Park on Saturday – Portsmouth FC and Roy Keane.

Next weekend’s Wear-Tees derby is shaping up to be a potentially season-defining tussle and Sunderland inadvertently took the early initiative after Middlesbrough’s depleted midfield resources were further weakened in their 2-1 defeat.

Didier Digard, the engine room enforcer who made his first league Boro start on Saturday, limped out and is doubtful for the trip to the Stadium of Light.

The Frenchman joins an injury list that includes Tunçay Sanli and former Wearside favourite Julio Arca, as well as Marvin Emnes and Mohamed Shawky.

It’s left Southgate with plenty to ponder this week, not least the logic of a wafer-thin squad.

The Boro boss won the Barclays Manager of the Month award for August after some vibrant displays from his youthful team that deservedly won three of their four opening fixtures and was unlucky to lose a thriller at Liverpool.

But it’s one thing to have a lean, mean, first-team squad to chose from; it’s another when a month into the new season you’re down to the bare bones.

Once again, the club’s Academy will no doubt be expected to fill the gap and it was noticeable that the visitors’ bench was made up of home-grown talent.

Southgate admits Digard’s derby prospects look bleak and is ruing the aftermath of an international break that left key players sidelined and Stewart Downing showing signs of fatigue.

Southgate said: “It looks like Didier’s twisted his knee but we’ll get it scanned and take things from there. We had four lads come back from international duty with injuries, which is very frustrating. We’ve got to wait and see how long some are out.”

Southgate was honest in his assessment of the defeat, admitting Boro were outplayed in a one-sided second-half.

The visitors took the lead against the run of play in the 24th minute through Mido, who has four goals to his credit.

The Egyptian picked up a lucky bounce after two defenders attempted to head clear the same flighted pass and the ball found it’s way to Afonso Alves. The Brazilian hit a sweet low pass back into Mido who, after cushioning the pass, hooked a fine low shot past David James.

Portsmouth switched from 3-5-2 to 4-4-2 at half time and were much more effective after the break.

Boro held until the 59th minute when Peter Crouch won possession before sliding a neat pass into the path of Jermain Defoe, who lashed a low drive inside Ross Turnbull’s near post.

Southgate and his coaches were fuming, however, because Boro were down to nine men in the build-up.

Mido suffered a blow to the face from Crouch’s elbow which pole-axed the striker and, at the same moment, Digard was trying to get back on the field after receiving treatment.

Southgate said: “We can have no complaints about results and referees because that’s out of our control but it didn’t help us on that occasion. We have to keep playing until the referee decides to stop the game, but Mido went down because of an eye injury and the other problem was we had Didier off the field.

“He was waiting for about 45 seconds to come back on and when we concede we’re down to nine men.” To add insult to injury, 10 minutes later and with Boro under the cosh, Downing was clearly pushed over inside the Pompey penalty area, but referee Stuart Attwell waved play on.

Southgate said: “I imagine it would have been a free-kick anywhere else on the field. I thought it was a foul but, again, not something we can control.”

It was a turning point because in the 86th minute Portsmouth were in front after an attempted interception from Downing propelled the ball into the Boro box, dropping perfectly for Defoe who fired past Turnbull.

PORTSMOUTH: James, Kaboul (Belhadj 46), Campbell, Distin, Johnson, Diop (Utaka 46), Davis, Diarra, Armand Traore (Hreidarsson 84), Crouch, Defoe. Subs (not used): Ashdown, Nugent, Pamarot, Mvuemba.

Booked: Defoe, Johnson.

Goals: Defoe 59, 86.

MIDDLESBROUGH: Turnbull, Hoyte, Huth, Riggott, Pogatetz, Aliadiere, O’Neil, Digard (Taylor 70), Downing, Alves, Mido (Adam Johnson 84). Subs (not used): Jones, Wheater, Porritt, Walker, Craddock.

Booked: Mido.

Goal: Mido 24.

Attendance: 19,425.

Referee: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire).