Cherries could find that Pompey are back on the up

I don't think many clubs slip down the leagues has been quite as spectacular as Pompey's fall. While they flirted briefly with relegation for a while last season they pulled out an inner belief to mount a bit of a late surge up the table. But League Two is still where they are and while there are no guarantees I actually hope that Pompey do start to climb their way back up the leagues to bolster the number of southern teams in the higher divisions. They seem always in a rebuilding phase and the third change of manager in six months in the summer has marked another phase in the club's search for stability and better results. So are they up to giving AFCB a bit of a surprise?

Fogden is apparently injured with knee ligament damage.

I think Portsmouth have a great chance of not only giving the Cherries a hard game although recent encounters might suggest that the difference between the teams has not closed as much as it might in recent years. Perhaps last season they turned the corner though. They took in players such as our own Wes Fogden and since then have added Craig Westcarr, Paul Jones, James Dunne and former Cherry Danny Hollands. Alex Wynter is a young defender signed on loan from Crystal Palace and Miles Storey is another notable loan signing from Swindon. Whether Andy Awford can get this group of players to combine well in such a short period of time will be the challenge, but a fresh look Portsmouth should be able to leave some of the baggage they have been carrying behind them so that they can press on now.

The AFCB match is likely to be their biggest pre-season game as they have been averaging crowds of 800-2500 for the other summer fixtures. If Andy Awford can get them playing well though the home crowd will soon turn up for Pompey's matches and playing AFCB may well spark off some of the fire that we are used to seeing in Pompey sides. I was down at Portsmouth Harbour at the weekend and it is the first time in a long time that I have visited the city and yet not seen a single Pompey shirt on view. Somehow I reckon the support for Pompey will be pretty vocal tonight though when the Cherries arrive at Fratton Park.

Wes Fogden is out of action with an injury picked up during training during July.