Turf Moor Diaries: As Any Pundit Will Tell You, We Need To Take Our Chances

I freely accept, and readily admit, and do not hide that I am biased in favour of Burnley.

But if anyone can explain to me how we lost today, I would be very grateful. No, that's not true. I wouldn't be grateful at all. I'd be shocked to find that there really was a reasonable, rational explanation.

I do not need to see the stats to know how well we played and how much we dominated and until I've calmed down I won't bother to look. I don't need to hear the line we'll hear on Match of the Day - "Burnley play some nice football but if you don't take your chances at this level, blah-di-blah..." - to know what the pundits will think.

But my God it is annoying, frustrating, mind-blowing that we came away with nothing. Football, bloody hell.

On the way out, a couple of Burnley fans were slagging off Wade Elliott for a misfired late shot and Steven Fletcher for a fluffed opportunity in the first half. Unfair, I said.

It is true that Fletcher had perhaps the best chance of a Burnley-dominated first half. He also brought out a fabulous save from Asmir Begovic after hitting a superb volley in a Burnley-dominated second half.

It is also true that he is very left-footed and the first-half chance fell to his right foot. People might think, and plenty do, that footballers should be able to use both feet but life ain't like that. Ask Ryan Giggs. The fluffed chance apart, Fletcher was brilliant today.

Begovic's save from him was not the only one he made with the score at nil-nil. He tipped one over the bar when Kevin McDonald hit a great 20-yard shot on target.

Burnley keeper Brian Jensen, by contrast, had a pretty quiet day. His most dramatic moment came when saving a weak penalty from Aruna Dindane, and a pretty lame follow up.

It was a good moment for the Burnley fans packed in behind that goal. But why on earth the penalty was given in the first place is a mystery to all but overweight referee Phil Dowd. Again, I admit to my bias. But what a shocking day he had. Not just the penalty either, but a succession of decisions that meant when Burnley finally got a free-kick decision going our way, we celebrated it like we'd scored a goal.

I suppose I could go through all the chances one by one, but I'd be here all day. Suffice to say the bulk of them resulted from nice flowing football, which deserved to be rewarded. Fletcher won just about everything in the air. He, Robbie Blake and Chris Eagles showed some lovely touches. McDonald, playing in central midfield in place of Andre Bikey, who replaced the suspended Steven Caldwell at centre back, added real weight and stability.

Elliott, whatever the ire of the woman carping as she left, created several of the many first-half chances. So - bias admitted again - I'm hesitant to criticise any of them. Throw in the handful of corners and second-half free kicks won in the air by Bikey, and frankly, 4-0 at half time, 7-2 at full time would not have been an unreasonable score. And yet, so one-sided was that first half, and so used am I to following Burnley, that I did have a bit of a feeling, confided to my friend Greg, that we might suffer one of those horribly disappointing days.

A word, as last week, for the fans. Some of them were up in the early hours to set off for the longest trip of our season. I reckoned quite a few would take advantage of the live coverage on Sky to enjoy the extra few hours in bed. Not a bit of it. Packed end, and all but a handful stayed to cheer the players off at the end. Some quite witty singing about Portsmouth's unpaid wages but all in all, just good solid support right to the final whistle.

It was nice to visit a good old-fashioned ground. It must be such a culture shock for Avram Grant after being at Chelsea. It reminds me of Watford and Luton, what with stands that don't quite match up, garages and lock-ups in alleyways within spitting distance of the walls of the stadium, from which it is possible to peer into the back gardens of Fratton Park's neighbours.

I also liked the mural that ran all the way along the back of the away end, with paintings of Pompey players past and present. I liked the one of goalkeeper Ernie Taylor (1946-53) with his green shirt, white shorts and brown flat cap. Ike Clarke (1947-53) is wearing a polo neck in his painting.

I suppose I should say something about the goals. They were at the other end so I will have to rely on the observations of my son, watching on TV. He reckoned the first, by Hermann Hreidarsson, should have been disallowed for both handball and offside, whilst the second came from a free kick that should never have been given.

I freely admit that he is biased too. Very biased. "How did we lose that?" were his first words when finally we were in a state to speak.

Terrific performance. Horrible day. Thank God I only have to travel to London. I really feel for the coach-loads who have all that motorway to eat up before they're home.

As for the players, I couldn't blame them if, every now and then, they say to themselves "if we don't win games like that, you wonder if we'll ever win away".

But knowing Owen Coyle, he'll knock that negativity out of them pretty quickly.

Two at home now, Fulham and Arsenal. Then it's Wolves away. That's the one we'll win ... Surely?