Pompey get a point at the Villa

Portsmouth were held to a 0-0 draw with Aston Villa on Saturday.

Harry Redknapp failed to mark the occasion of 25 years in football with a win as Pompey visited Villa Park.

Armand Traore had the best chance of the match as his powerful strike was denied by the woodwork.

Both teams are playing in the UEFA cup group stages next week, so were looking for a injury-free game, neither side seemed to suffer any injury setbacks, but Sean Davis was sent off for a second bookable offence for a foul on Petrov.

Villa started off better than Pompey, but failed to trouble Pompey keeper David James.

Traore struck the post on 28 minutes to wake up fans after a dull period of play in the game. Jermain Defoe was nearly on-hand to put away the follow-up, but his acrobatic effort, at an awkward angle, flew high over the bar.

Crouch then met Glen Little's cross with a header just before the break, but the 6ft7 England star failed to slot it past Villa keeper Friedel.

Pompey showed off their superb defensive skills as Villa had shot after shot, with a dominating second half performance from the Midlands hosts.

Pompey were forced to play the last 10 minutes with 10 men as Sean Davis was sent off following a second yellow card.

Villa nearly went close to taking a late lead when Ashley Young's free-kick met James Milner, who beat David James and forced Sylvain Distin to clear off the line.

Carew also hit the crossbar just before full-time, but a strong defensive performance from Pompey saw the blues take a point back to Fratton Park.

Sadly, during injury time, assistant referee Phil Sharp was struck by a 50 pence piece thrown by a person in the crowd - this is to be investigated by the FA.

Niko Returning!

Harry Redknapp has told The News that Niko Kranjcar is still a big part of the Pompey team.
Niko has been out for the past seven weeks after damaging ligaments in his right ankle, but HR is adamant that Kranjcar has a big part to play in Pompey's success this season.

'Niko is coming back, hopefully by the back end of the month, which is a big bonus for us.

'He's a top, top player in my opinion and there will always be a role for him in my team, no doubt about that.

'The lad is a cracking footballer. I just have to get him fit and then look at getting him into the team.

'Someone like Niko makes you stronger. He's an international player, a quality performer on the world stage - any manager would want him in their team.

'He can create something out of nothing, come up with a bit of magic that no-one else can.

'There are not many of him around in the Premier League at the moment, that's for sure.

'Obviously, Armand and Nadir have done fantastic down that left for us since they came to the club, but Niko can play in other positions.

'He has played a lot on the left for us but he can also go on the right - he's naturally right-footed - or he could operate behind the front two if you wanted.

'The lad gives us options but first I just want to get him fit and then see what happens.'

Kranjcar is expected to return by the end of October, just in time for a busy schedule ahead of the UEFA cup group stages and Premiership matches over the next couple of months.

Although Niko has been missed by the 'Fratton Faithful', his replacements in the form of Nadir Belhadj and Armand Traore, have been more than enough to fill his boots on the left-hand side.

The duo on loan from RC Lens and Arsenal, played a big part in Pompey's early success in the UEFA cup, so it looks like is going to have to fight hard for his place back, when returning fully to training.

Defoe confident ahead of Belarus encounter

Jermain Defoe insists England are confident ahead of Wednesday's game against Belarus, but will not get complacent.
England head to Minsk on Wednesday hoping for a fourth successive win; giving the Three Lions their best ever start to a qualifying campaign, following wins against Andorra, Croatia and Kazakhstan.

Defoe came on as a substitute during last weekends 5-1 win over Kazakhstan to score his sixth international goal for England.

The Pompey striker told a news conference, 'The lads are confident. You can imagine after the Croatian game last month that everyone was buzzing. We want to keep it going and got another result at the weekend.

'We will be watching the videos on Belarus, so everyone in their minds will know exactly what they are good at and what they are not good at.

'No game at this level is easy. On Saturday we had to be patient - and once the first goal had gone in, we went on from there.

'We won't under-estimate them, but if we work hard and pass the ball like we can do we should get the three points.'

The match kicks-off at 19.30 on Wednesday, with the game being shown live on Setanta Sports.

Let's hope Crouchy and Defoe can sneak a few more goals.

Villa itinerary

Here is a little bit of info for all fans travelling to Villa Park for Saturday's game against Aston Villa.
Nearest Train Station(s):
Witton train station is just a 2 minute walk from Villa Park, the ground can be seen quite easily from the station.

Aston train station is also reasonably close, about a 10 minute walk from the ground, giving you a chance to visit several pubs on the way to the ground.

If you are travelling by car:
From the North:
Leave the M6 at junction 7 and follow the southbound A34 Walsall Road. Take a left towards the University of Central England and then follow the signs for the A4040 to Witton. Taking the first left at the main roundabout and follow the signs towards Villa Park.

From the East:
Use Motorway M1, junction 21 to connect to the M6 at junction 4A. Travel northbound on the M6 to junction 6. Leave the motorway and follow the signs to Birmingham taking the A38(M). From the A38(M) take the first slip road on the left towards Aston. At the roundabout take the first exit (signed to Villa Park). At the next roundabout take the first left onto the A5127. At the first junction turn left onto Witton Lane and follow the signs to Villa Park.

Parking info:
Cars travelling to Villa Park on Saturday 18th October

We recommend that fans travelling by car from the North exit the M6 at Junction 7 and follow the signs for Birmingham A34.

Having passed Alexandra Stadium on the left, all vehicles should stay in the nearside lane. Leave the main carriageway just prior to the flyover at Perry Barr Greyhound Stadium (DO NOT go over the flyover).

The road splits in to four lanes as you approach the traffic lights. Stay in the left hand lane and you will see signs for match-day parking priced at £4.

Villa Park is a ten minute walk from the car park, and using this car park will ensure you access the motorway quickly after the match.

Recommended pub:
The Cap and Gown is a local pub situated just two minutes from ground. It is a decent pub, as half the pub is given to away fans (there is even a separate entrance for visiting fans). It is only a two-minute walk from the away entrance to Villa Park.

Surrounding Take-aways:
Dragon Dragon Chinese Takeaway - Witton Road
Chaps Pizza - Witton Road
Caribbean Flava - Witton Road
Broadway Kebab House - The Broadway
Big John's - Priory Road

There are also the normal food vans outside the ground - one called Villa Filla outside the ground is quite nice.

Food inside the ground is average price - still a bit steep though.
Hotdog - £2.50
Pies - £2.75
Cheeseburger - £2.90
Fizzy Drinks - £1.75