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Match Reports

REPORT: Stanley 2 Portsmouth 2

Pell and Butcher on target but late Pompey goal denies Reds the win

23 October 2021

Match Reports

REPORT: Stanley 2 Portsmouth 2

Pell and Butcher on target but late Pompey goal denies Reds the win

23 October 2021

Harry Pell and Matt Butcher were on target as Stanley drew 2-2 with Portsmouth at the Wham Stadium.

Ronan Curtis had given Pompey a first half lead but Pell levelled three minutes after the interval before midfielder Butcher finished superbly on 77 minutes.

However, with four minutes left, Marcus Harness was left unmarked to fire home an equaliser from close range to share the spoils in an entertaining clash.

John Coleman kept with the same starting XI which beat Charlton midweek with defender Ross Sykes, returning after injury, on the bench.

Pompey started on the attack. In the first two minutes, a fierce shot from Marcus Harness was tipped over the crossbar by Toby Savin.

Savin pulled off another superb save to keep out a Shaun Williams blast and the Reds keeper was there again, this time to deny John Marquis from close range.

Pompey opened the scoring on 18 minutes when, after quick passing down the left, the ball found Ronan Curtis in the area and he fired low through a sea of bodies into the far corner of the net.

Coleman immediately made changes with Sykes replacing Sam Sherring but Pompey were still on the attack, Reeco Hackett-Fairchild’s goalbound strike blocked.

Stanley came close to an equaliser on 25 minutes when Ethan Hamilton’s cross found a sliding Colby Bishop but his shot was inches wide of the post.

Savin then saved at one end before Pell charged forward and was brought down by Sean Raggett but Pell’s free kick hit the wall and bounced out.

It was then Pompey’s turn to break and Harness blasted over after making space for himself in an end-to-end game.

Immediately after the break, Savin kept out Hackett-Fairchild’s low drive while Sean McConville’s volley was palmed away by Gavin Bazunu.

From the resulting McConville corner on 48 minutes, the ball found Sykes who headed it forward and Pell was there to head home his third in two games.

Bishop had the ball taken off his foot as he lined up to shoot at one end and then, at the other, Savin was caught around 30 yards out of his goal and a shot by Curtis towards the empty net was cleared off the line via the post by Butcher.

It was all-action with Savin denying Harness when he was clean through and a Harness goalbound strike superbly steered out by Sykes.

Savin kept out Hackett-Fairchild’s free kick and Stanley then took the lead on 77 minutes.

A Savin goalkick found its way to McConville who slid through Butcher and he finished superbly, to lob Bazunu for his fourth goal of the season.

Stanley seemed on course for the win but then a Marquis ball in found Harness who had the easy task to level.

Stanley: Savin, Sherring (Sykes 19), Nottingham, Amankwah, McConville, Morgan, Conneely, Hamilton, Butcher, Pell, Bishop

SubsL Trafford, O’Sullivan, Leigh, Mansell, Nolan, Malcolm

Attendance: 2889 (892 from Portsmouth)


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