Bishop Ends Drought in Fratton Park Draw Against Blackburn

Colby Bishop has waited a long time for a moment like this. Dropped, doubted, stuck on three goals in a year – and then, with Fratton Park holding its breath, he threw himself at a rising shot and finally felt the net bulge again.

It was only an equaliser in a 2-2 draw with Blackburn Rovers. To Bishop, and to a Portsmouth side still trying to find their rhythm this season, it felt like something more.

Lightning start, early sting

The game barely had time to settle before it exploded into life. Todd Cantwell forced a save from Daniel Bielica after just 22 seconds, a warning that Blackburn had not come to sit back.

Portsmouth ignored it and struck first. After less than three-and-a-half minutes, Jayden Meghoma swung in a cross from the left. Sean McLoughlin’s header clear only reached the edge of the box, where Zak Swanson watched the ball sit up and met it with a crisp volley. Balazs Toth, unsighted, could only watch it flash past him.

Fratton Park roared. The lead didn’t last.

Within seven minutes, Harry Pickering slipped a pass into Oladapo Afolayan on the left corner of the area. The former St Pauli forward drove at Marlon Pack, shifted the ball, and drilled a low right-footed shot inside Bielica’s near post. Portsmouth’s early advantage was gone, undone by a soft concession and sharp finishing.

The opening quarter became a shoot-out. Both sides played on the front foot, both goalkeepers called into action, the game stretched and open.

Kavuma-McQueen shines, Bielica blunders

One teenager began to take control of the narrative. Chelsea loanee Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, just 17, repeatedly found space between Blackburn’s lines and carried the ball with a swagger that belied his age.

Four minutes before the break, he almost produced a statement moment. Toth rolled a weak pass out towards his defence, Kavuma-McQueen pounced, and unleashed a fierce left-footed drive. Toth redeemed himself with a strong hand, beating the ball away and keeping the scores level at the interval.

Portsmouth came out for the second half with purpose. Kavuma-McQueen again tested Toth on 54 minutes, a driven effort palmed clear, and Pack’s follow-up deflected narrowly wide. The hosts looked sharper, their press biting, their crowd sensing a swing in momentum.

Then came the mistake that turned the game on its head.

On 57 minutes, Bielica tried to clear but miscued horribly, gifting possession to Kristi Montgomery high up the pitch. Blackburn broke instantly. The ball was worked to Ryoya Morishita on the right of the box and the Japan international drilled a right-footed shot across goal into the bottom left corner. From promise to punishment in a heartbeat.

Bishop’s moment at last

Portsmouth could have sagged. Instead, they leaned on the player who has carried their goalscoring burden for so long, even as the goals dried up.

Bishop had started on the bench, his barren run finally catching up with him in the team selection. When his chance came, he took it.

Kavuma-McQueen again sparked the move. Picking up the ball on the right side of the area, he spun away from his marker and drove inside, unleashing a powerful strike. It looked goalbound. Bishop made sure.

The striker darted across the six-yard box and glanced the ball in with his head, redirecting it past Toth and into the net. His first goal since April. A rare one in recent times, but celebrated like the old days.

Fratton Park erupted. The relief around the ground matched the noise.

Fine margins at the finish

The game stayed open, both sides sensing there was still a winner in it. Portsmouth pushed hardest.

In stoppage time, Meghoma almost stole it. The full-back found space and fired towards goal, only for Toth to stand firm again and preserve Blackburn’s point.

When the whistle went, both teams were left with mixed feelings. Blackburn, now on nine points in 16th, had led twice but couldn’t see it out. Portsmouth, a place and a point behind with a game in hand, had rescued something from a match that threatened to slip away.

For them, the bigger question lingers. If Bishop’s long-awaited goal sparks the return of the ruthless forward they know he can be, how different might their season start to look?