THE party belonged to Portsmouth and not Barnsley at Fratton Park on Tuesday night - but there was some hope for the visitors when the dust finally settled.
While the evening was set up for Pompey to end their 12-year absence from the Championship, which they did in the nick of time, Neill Collins’ side had their own incentive. Namely to gatecrash events and book their place in the play-offs by virtue of a surprise victory. After 83 minutes, that looked like happening, only for Pompey to stage a dramatic finale and win 3-2 with the final whistle being the precursor to a wild pitch invasion with a sea of blue soon covering a jubilant Fratton Park.
Also still in with a slim chance of play-off participation are eighth-placed Blackpool, who host Barnsley on Saturday. They are five points behind Collins’s side ahead of the Bloomfield Road encounter. Collins said: 'For me, the players have shown over the last six or seven months that they can beat anyone on their day and are a match for anyone and it should give the players a lot of confidence. 'I wish they had points to show for it so that will be the tough part.
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