Chapter 1: What recent developments occurred in Portsmouth's match against Millwall?
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Portsmouth moved six points clear of the Championship relegation zone as Gustavo Caballero's strike 30 seconds into the second half teed up victory over promotion-chasing Millwall at the Den. An uneventful first half burst into life when Caballero's powerful strike, after his initial shot was saved, nestled in the back of the net.
The lead was doubled within 10 minutes, with Malenik Ali doing superbly to beat his man down the left flank, and find John Swift, who thumped the ball home from the edge of the box. Millwall, who were chasing a fourth win in five games, and had lost just one of their previous ten matches, pulled a goal back, when Kasper Dinori found the corner of the net with a delightful curling strike.
But Marlon Pack's instinctive finish made it 3-1, and the visitors held on for a precious win, their second in London in five days, following victory over Charlton on Tuesday. Although the defeat is a blow to the Lions' automatic promotion hopes, they are only six points behind second-placed Middlesbrough, who could only draw with Oxford, while Ipswich lost to Wrexham.
Chapter 2: How did Portsmouth secure their victory over Millwall?
Pompey edged a tight first half, with Lions keeper Anthony Paterson forced to mark his league debut for the hosts, with a fine early save from Caballero, while Ebu Adams wasted two headed chances, one that was well saved and one that he sent off target from close range.
The hosts also missed decent opportunities, and Pompey number one Nicholas Schmid was forced into action on a couple of occasions, notably to keep out a low Femi Aziz shot. But Pompey upped the tempo in a frantic second half, and ended up worthy winners. Millwall boss Alex Neil, I don't think we deserved anything from the game.
People will think when I say how we defended that I'm talking about the back four but I'm talking about the whole team. This is a collective thing in that the first goal from our point of view was really disappointing and the second goal was equally as disappointing.
I said to the lads after the game that we're built as a team on doing the basics really well, and I didn't think we did the basics well enough. When the ball did go forward, it didn't stick enough for us when we got it there and I didn't think we won enough duels.
Portsmouth boss, John Mazzino, I know we lost to Arsenal in the FA Cup, but we were excellent on the day and we've replicated those performances away from home. I think it's come from a reset after losing to Bristol City, and a recognition of the fact that we can do both sides of the game pretty well when we put our minds to it.
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Chapter 3: What were the critical moments that defined the first half of the game?
To come here and win against the third best team in the league, we've watched them time and time again be a very impressive side, home and away from home, is very pleasing. They've got threats all over the pitch so to do that off the back of Tuesday, a win over Charlton, was really pleasing. I thought we were excellent throughout.
We should keep saying it to ourselves over and over again, we played really well on Saturday and we deserved the win. And we beat soundly the side that is in third place and is hoping for automatic promotion to the Premier League next season. We beat them. We beat them well at their place, which is, by their standard, a bit of a fortress. And we went and we saw and we conquered.
And it's interesting, isn't it, that the other manager always, always says that his team were disappointing. They never say... Actually, that Pompey, they're pretty good, you know, and they've really come good. And they were the better side on the day. They were better than us on the day. It could be that they are better than us. They wouldn't go anywhere near saying that.
They like to say that their boys were disappointing and they didn't get the basics right. Fair play. Would John Massino do it that way? If he did, I think we would trust that it would be the fact of the matter rather than the inability to offer grudging or otherwise admiration to the other team.
But we earned admiration against Millwall and let's hope we earn admiration aplenty in the remaining games of this season.
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Chapter 4: What did the managers say about their team's performance after the match?
Yeah, I mean it was such a good performance. We matched the result with the performance. Coming back-to-back wins is something we haven't done so far this season, so it's the first time we've done that. Back-to-back away wins, obviously, first of all against Charlton on Tuesday, and then to come here, the third-best team in the league.
I've watched them a lot this year, and they're very, very good, especially at home. So, overall, yeah, probably ranks up there with the top performances of the season. But my message to the lads in there as well is I think we've been very good over the last eight games. The two games, the Preston v Sheffield United game...
I think we were slightly unlucky to not take the results, but everything came together today. This test of character, test of physicality, we've come up against two physical sides and I think we've done very, very well on both occasions. The fact that we've had to travel twice, we're still not
Chapter 5: How did Marlon Pack contribute to Portsmouth's success in the match?
the most blessed in terms of numbers in the squad at the moment. We shuffled a few things around over the week. We called Ruben Swann to make sure he could be on the bench today. So, yeah, there's some players out there that are nearly running on empty, but still going and putting in some very good performances.
I think just to follow on that result with another good performance and then in a difficult period of the game where we conceded from really Millwall having nothing, it was frustrating because I thought we started to... make a couple of mistakes that were just of our own downfall. We got back on the front foot and scored that third goal. Really pleasing because it was from a set piece as well.
Everything, I think, apart from a couple of moments where we just made poor decisions, everything today was very good. The goal obviously comes really quickly after half-time. I thought we played really well in the first half. It caused Millwall a lot of problems in terms of the way that we pressed, first of all, so they didn't have a huge amount of the ball.
We got into our shape really well and played some really good football off the back of it. We probably didn't create a huge amount, but we had some very, very good opportunities. Millie, I thought, was having a really good run. Gustavo, down the right-hand side as well, grew into the game. It was more of the same, and my take was it was just going to be a game of those small little moments.
Who comes out? With the second ball, if there's a battle in the middle of the park, who's going to dominate a set piece? I think as the game went on, it did pan out to be the case. In that moment where there was a bit of confusion on the halfway line, Gus ended up taking the ball, putting it in the back of the net.
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Chapter 6: What insights did Marlon Pack share about the team's recent performances?
I think it was very similar for the second goal as well. It was a throw-in here, we've picked up the seconds, Ibu's turned on it, found Millie and Millie's found Swifty. Those small moments in the game are really important for us. I thought he was very, very threatening. Again, for Gus to go back-to-back games in the week. Obviously, he's probably had the advantage of playing.
We played a couple of times with Santos at the back end of January, so fitness-wise we were in an OK position with him. But there's still a lot that we think we need to figure out with Gus, but I thought he was very, very good today. A real threat on that right-hand side and defensively did his job brilliantly. It was a terrific performance and a really good result.
But listening to John Massino there, one is reminded that this is a guy of great temperament himself.
His equilibrium is so substantial that you can never tell from the tone of his voice or the general tenor of his demeanour whether Pompey have just lost a game they could have won or should have won, been the worst team and got stuffed as a result, or been the better team against the team that, as he quite rightly said, are the third best team at the moment.
in the championship and we stuffed them and we stuffed them absolutely beat them consummately easily and there will be stuff in the press on Monday morning with Millwall people saying that they played really badly and we don't know why they weren't at the races and they didn't compete with Pompey and nobody at their end will come on out and say Pompey are good
At least they played really, really well against us on Saturday and 3-1 to them was about a fair result. Actually, we were lucky to get the one. 3-0 was probably about the right scoreline.
so a good feeling for Pompey fans good feeling for Pompey players and bless him and he keeps on winning more and more people over to him a good day at the office for John Massino after the game Pompey's official media team caught up with Marlon Pack to hear the full interview go to obviously the official website but let's have a listen to what Marlon had to say Marlon how much did you enjoy that one?
Yeah, always a tough place to go, a side that are flying high in the division. Once again, I think the boys put in a really good performance, showed everything that I feel like we are as a team. We can play, we can go direct, we can compete, we can battle. To go back-to-back wins, back-to-back away wins, to score three goals in both, it's...
I'm really pleased for the group because I think the two games prior to the last two, Preston, Sheffield United, I don't think we got what we deserved in terms of our performances. But we've kept the standard up, we kept maintaining it, we kept the momentum and yeah, it's another great victory but fully deserved. A goal for you as well, talk us through it. Yeah, I think...
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Chapter 7: How has the team adapted to recent challenges and injuries?
Yeah, and obviously, I don't know if anyone knows this, but I grew up a Pompey fan from the city. And I know the rivalry with Millwall as well. So, as always, come heavily in our numbers. The support was fantastic. And to score the three goals in front of them was a great moment. Great moment for Gus, really pleased for him. I think he's been outstanding.
offers us a different dynamic on that right side and it was really threatening and also for Swifty he's had to bide his time and I think he's doing really well in the number 10 spot so it's a really pleasing performance for the group but also for those individuals with those accolades.
You talked about Gus there, I was going to ask about him, how has he settled into the group and it seems to have really hit the ground running as well?
Yeah, I mean, I've had the Google Translate out quite frequently with him. I think, you know, the players and staff have been really accommodating. You know, in the meetings, there's... Some of the meetings, some of our terms, our analogies are in Spanish, so he has an understanding. And I think he's come in without speaking the language.
I think he's come straight in and slotted straight in and has, I think, a really understanding of what we are as a team and what we require in that position. So full credit to him. I've been in that position before, signing for a new team in my own country and being able to speak to language. He's come in in a really busy period.
We've had a couple of away games where we've stayed away and credit to him, he's really got on with it. And like I said, I think he's been a really welcome addition to the group.
Back to your goal, such an important one after weathering quite a big storm from them as well when they got a bit of a foothold in that second half.
Yeah, I mean, it's quite tough, right, scoring. Listen, I think we started fantastically, scoring near enough straight from kick-off, which I felt, you know, on the basis of the first half, we were really threatening and got in some great areas. And to start the game well, then to go 2-0 up, and it's probably one of those where you're probably, as a player, you're caught in between of what to do.
Do you carry on on the front foot? But there's also, I think, in the back of your mind, a bit of, you know, you want to protect the lead, you want to be secure. So probably caught in between.
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Chapter 8: What future prospects does Marlon Pack see for the team following this victory?
I think testament to the group, the belief that we have in in us as a team, the individuals, I think really grown. I think you've seen that. I think we're being brave, we're taking the ball when it's tight to play. But I think, like I said, what I like about us is that I think we've got loads of different styles to our game.
Obviously, we have Colby up there who's, you know, I know he didn't score again today, but to compete against those two centre-halves, the biggest in the league, to win a lot of aerial draws, he was pivotal to how we wanted to play. And I think it's for us as a group to keep repeating the messages. We know we've done well, but it's not to maintain that. It's not to let off.
It's not to get carried away with these two wins. We are nowhere near where we want to be as a group. But as you said, I think the group must take some confidence from performances and also some plaudits in terms of We've got quite a few players out injured. We're down to bare bones, but we keep delivering, we keep delivering.
We want to keep this momentum up, keep our feet on the ground and, like I said, keep working hard on the training ground because what we're doing is working and go from there.
Yeah, to hear the full interview, go to Pompey's official website. Marlon Pack, increasingly impressive off the pitch in every respect. And he's pretty impressive on the pitch and has been throughout a distinguished, solid career. But he's starting to look like a manager in waiting, isn't he? And we've been saying it for some time. And it wouldn't surprise anybody if he came on board with...
with his new contract with Pompey, as a player assistant coach. And that would be fantastic, in so many ways. Marlon Pack. Good on you, mate. And by the way, on screen, and I've been watching him whilst he's been talking, I know you can't do that whilst you're listening to this podcast, but I've been watching him whilst he was talking, and even when he's happy, he's scary.
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