Portsmouth 2 Barnsley 0: Hill takes the positives as Reds lose unbeaten run to Pompey

BARNSLEY chief Keith Hill refused to get too disappointed after seeing his side lose their seven-match unbeaten record to their managerless hosts.

His side had the better of the first half but never looked like getting back into the game once Portsmouth had gone ahead.

Hill said: “If we had scored first we could have won the game. In the first half they caused us no danger expect from set-pieces.

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“Overall I am not too disappointed with the performance but once Portsmouth had scored they started to play better and it gave them energy.

“We are moving in the right direction despite this result. I am pleased with the development of our style and with the commitment of the players. You can learn a lot from losing.”

Coach Guy Whittingham ruled himself out of the running to replace Steve Cotterill after guiding Portsmouth to their biggest win of the season.

Whittingham and assistant manager Stuart Gray led the side in the absence of Cotterill, who had departed for Nottingham Forest.

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Whittingham said: “I am not interested in the job. All I and Stuart are doing is preparing the side until such time an appointment is made.

“I love being a coach and I don’t want the stress of being a manager. I have a nice family life and I want to keep it that way.

“I told the players not to get too excited by this result, I just hope it gives us some confidence going into Tuesday’s match against Ipswich.

“It is never easy when a manager leaves the day before and it took us time to settle but we made a bright start to the second half and got the two goals in quick succession.”

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Barnsley nearly took the lead when captain Jacob Butterfield smashed a shot straight at Stephen Henderson from 20 yards.

Tykes defender Bobby Hassell then produced a mazy run from the halfway line and was able to surge into the penalty area before being thwarted by a last-ditch block from Ricardo Rocha.

Barnsley remained the more dangerous side and Ricardo Vaz Te wasted two great opportunities in quick succession midway through the first half.

He failed to pick out Butterfield when Barnsley poured forward on the counter-attack, and then he blazed over with the goal at his mercy.

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Portsmouth created little until the 35th minute when Greg Halford rose highest to meet Liam Lawrence’s corner but was unable to hit the target.

Just a minute later, they threatened again when a neat passing move set up David Norris and his attempted chip over Luke Steele with the outside of his right foot brought a diving save from the Barnsley goalkeeper.

The visitors went straight up the other end and went agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock as Butterfield’s low shot struck the inside of the post and flashed across goal but stayed out.

Norris was then only narrowly wide with a long-range effort for Pompey as the half finished goalless.

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Barnsley made a double change at the break, sending on Scott Wiseman and Cameron Park for Hassell and Vaz Te, but it was the home side that started the second half well.

Erik Huseklepp looked to have converted Lawrence’s cross but it was brilliantly cleared off the line by Stephen Foster before the breakthrough came in the 61st minute.

The ball dropped to Norris on the edge of the area and he took one touch to control the ball in the air before volleying an unstoppable low shot past Steele.

Just a minute later, the lead was doubled when substitute Dave Kitson crossed from the right byline and Varney made no mistake from close range.

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Henderson had to react quickly to tip over a shot from Butterfield which took a wicked deflection and almost dropped under the bar as Barnsley tried to hit straight back but they never threatened a comeback and are now on 12 points from 11 games, the same as their hosts.

Scouts from a handful of Premier League clubs, including Everton and Fulham, continue to monitor the progress of Reds academy product Butterfield.

The 21-year-old was linked with Aston Villa, QPR, Wolves and Leicester City at the end of last season and has yet to sign a new deal with Barnsley.

His contract runs out at the end of the season so a cut-price move in January could be a possibility, although Barnsley are keen to secure his services beyond next summer.

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Portsmouth: Henderson, Halford, Rocha, Pearce, Ben-Haim, Lawrence, Mullins, Norris, Huseklepp (Ward 84), Varney, Benjani (Kitson 58). Unused substitutes: Ashdown, Mokoena, Kanu.

Barnsley: Steele, McEveley, Foster, McNulty, Hassell (Wiseman 46), Drinkwater, Vaz Te (Park 46), Doyle, O’Brien (Davies 67), Butterfield, Gray. Unused substitutes: Preece, Addison.

Referee: S Hooper (Wiltshire).