Saturday 28 October 2017
Sky Bet League One
Portsmouth 0
Bradford City 1 (Kilgallon 80)
Kick Off: 3.00pm
at Fratton Park
Attendance 18,067 (1,003 visitors)
Matthew Kilgallon's thumping header ten minutes from the end proved enough to bring City back to winning ways in front of over a thousand away supporters at Fratton Park.
With Portsmouth pushing them all the way, the Bantams had to be at their battling best to grind out the hard-fought victory on the South Coast.
Following a run of one draw and two losses in the league, Kilgallon's match-winner from a wide free-kick - his second goal of the season - claimed all three points for Stuart McCall's men in the final match of October.
After missing all three of those games with a hamstring problem, Tony McMahon was perhaps unsurprisingly on hand to provide the assist from the free-kick on his recall.
With McMahon back among City's back four, McCall's side showed all of their defensive qualities to secure a clean sheet to go with the win.
Portsmouth, who had won nine of their previous eleven home games going into this game, pushed City hard in pursuit of a goal themselves.
Former Bantams loanee Kyle Bennett squandered three promising chances in the match, including one particular opening when he hit the side-netting after rounding City goalkeeper Colin Doyle.
Doyle himself produced bright saves from Jamal Lowe, Ben Close and Matty Kennedy during a game which saw Portsmouth forcing the tempo for large parts in front a crowd of over 18,000.
Ahead of Kilgallon's winner, City's clearest sight of goal came when an unmarked Charlie Wyke saw a header repelled by Pompey 'keeper Luke McGee eight minutes after the break.
FT: Portsmouth 0 Bradford City 1
90+4min: Kennedy's ball into the box eventually drops into the path of Chaplin but his goal-bound shot is blocked away.
90min: There will be four minutes at time added on at the end of the match.
86min: SUB - Portsmouth bring on Oliver Hawkins for Donohue.
86min: YELLOW CARD - Pitman is booked for a late challenge on Tom Field just inside City's half of the pitch.
83min: SUB - The Bantams bring on Timothee Dieng for Taylor.
80min: GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - Portsmouth 0 Bradford City 1 - Matthew Kilgallon gives City the lead! McMahon's delivery into the box from the resulting wide free-kick finds Kilgallon and the centre half guides a downward header into the bottom corner past a rooted McGee!
79min: YELLOW CARD - Donohue is booked for bringing down Gilliead as he looked to burst clear down City's right flank.
78min: A quickly taken corner involving Taylor and Law sees Wyke send a looping header onto the roof of the net.
75min: YELLOW CARD - After a number of clashing with Portsmouth players earlier in the day, McMahon is eventually booked for a spot of verbals with Chaplin.
69min: Burgess sends a looping header onto the roof of the net from the resulting Donohue corner delivery into the middle.
68min: Great double save from Doyle keeps Portsmouth at bay. The shot-stopper firstly saves well from Ben Close after the midfielder had broken free into space inside the box. Seconds later, Doyle is then called upon to tip over Kennedy's dipping half-volley from just outside the box.
67min: SUB - Portsmouth bring on Conor Chaplin for Bennett.
56min: A driving run into the box by Low eventually sees the attacker's cut-back from the byline into the six-yard box cleared behind by Thompson in the middle.
53min: Big opening for City now! Taylor's in-swinging cross finds Wyke unmarked in the middle. The striker's header for goal is pushed away by McGee, with Law only able to fire into the side-netting from a tight angle on the rebound.
49min: Big chance for Portsmouth! Luke McGee's big kick forward from the Portsmouth's box bounces away from Adam Thompson, leaving Bennett through on goal. The attacker knocks the ball around the on-rushing Colin Doyle but he can only hit the side-netting with a shot from a tight angle inside the area.
46min: Portsmouth restart the match.
HT: Portsmouth 0 Bradford City 0
45min: There will be one minute of time added on at the end of the first half.
44min: Thompson, now sporting a black head-band, is able to continue once again.
42min: There is a brief stoppage here at Fratton Park as Nathan Thompson receives treatment following a clash of heads with Tom Field.
41min: Vincelot sends a looping header narrowly over the bar following McMahon's free-kick delivery into the box from wide.
36min: Kennedy curls over with a shot from just outside the area.
30min: McMahon's free-kick from deep into the box is headed down into the mix by Romain Vincelot. A goalmouth scramble follows but City are unable to quite get a shot on target from close range and Portsmouth eventually clear their lines.
29min: Another promising opening for Bennett in this first period.Kennedy's cross-field pass finds Bennett in a good amount of space inside the box but the attacker's effort on the bounce from a decent position flashes over.
28min: Nicky Law plays a neat one-two with Taylor to put himself in a good position on the left-hand channel of Portsmouth's penalty area. The midfielder's low cross into the six yard box is threatening, but the ball is put behind by a watchful Burgess before any City player in the middle can pounce.
11min: Another chance for Bennett but this time the attacker lashes wildly over the bar from just inside the box after being teed up by Pitman.
10min: Good chance for Portsmouth! Matty Kennedy's pass in-field finds Kyle Bennett in space but the former Bantams loanee curls a low drive just past the post from the edge of the box.
7min: Tony McMahon's left-footed cross is helped into the path of Paul Taylor by Charlie Wyke but the striker's first time shot from just outside the box is scuffed comfortably wide.
5min: Jamal Lowe's drive for goal following a swift Portsmouth break forward is repelled by Colin Doyle before Brett Pitman is flagged offside on the rebound.
3min: Christian Burgess sends a downward header wide of the far post following Dion Donohue's corner delivery into the box.
0min: The Bantams kick off the match.
PORTSMOUTH LINE UP:
McGee, Thompson, Burgess, Clarke, Donohue, Close, O'Keefe, Lowe, Bennett, Kennedy, Pitman
Subs: Bass, Rose, Evans, Naismith, Hawkins, Chaplin, Haunstrup
Portsmouth substitutions:
Chaplin for Bennett (67), Hawkins for Donohue (86)
Portsmouth cautions:
Pitman (86)
BRADFORD CITY LINE UP:
Doyle, McMahon, Thompson, Knight-Percival, Field, Law, Reeves, Vincelot, Gilliead, Taylor, Wyke
Subs: Raeder, Dieng, McCartan, Hendrie, Jones, Patrick, Robinson
Bradford City substitutions:
Dieng for Taylor (83)
Bradford City cautions:
McMahon (75)
MATCH OFFICIALS:
Referee: Dean Whitestone
Assistant Referee: Adrian Tranter
Assistant Referee: Gregory Reid
Fourth Official: Steven Plane