Stevenage look for their sixth straight home victory on Saturday as they welcome John Mousinho’s Pompey to The Lamex Stadium…
Steve Evans’ men have enjoyed an impressive start to their Sky Bet League One campaign as they sit fifth in the table, level on points with the league leaders. The side have won their opening two matches at The Lamex Stadium, firstly overcoming Championship outfit Watford in the Carabao Cup before earning a 2-0 league victory over Shrewsbury Town.
Last Saturday, Boro suffered their first loss of the season as newly relegated Reading picked up a 2-0 victory despite a hard-fought effort from Evans’ side. They will be looking to bounce back in front a noisy crowd this weekend in order to continue their exciting start to life in the third tier.
Opposition Lowdown
Portsmouth have had an unbeaten start to their campaign, picking up two draws and two wins from four league games. They have also won two matches in the Carabao Cup and EFL Trophy against Forest Green Rovers and Fulham U21 respectively.
Their strength in depth allowed John Mousinho to make eleven changes on Tuesday against Fulham’s youngsters, with Pompey coming out on top in a penalty shootout after a 3-3 draw. Sean Raggett (x2) and Terry Devlin were on the scoresheet for Portsmouth in regular time.
Their last trip on the road was to East London as Portsmouth thrashed Leyton Orient by four goals to nil in League One. They have conceded just one goal in four league matches so far this campaign, so every side will have to work hard this season to break them down.
The Manager
The Pompey Boss will be a very familiar face to the Stevenage faithful. John Mousinho made eighty-three appearances in a Boro shirt, scoring twelve goals from midfield. He is most notable for scoring the winning goal in the 2011 League Two play-off final at Old Trafford to send Stevenage to the third tier for the first time in the club’s history. He is currently enjoying his first full season in management and will undoubtedly be aiming to lead Portsmouth to promotion.
Officials
Simon Mather has been appointed Match Referee for Saturday’s fixture with Damith Bandara and Scott Williams as Assistants and Stephen Finch as Fourth Official. Mather has dished out twenty-one yellow cards in three matches so far this campaign.
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