Todorov starts Portsmouth party
Portsmouth 1 Burnley
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Your support makes all the difference.Just when their party looked in serious danger of being pooped for the second time in four days last night, Svetoslav Todorov came up with the 73rd-minute goal that put Portsmouth in the Premiership for the first time, bringing ecstasy to Fratton Park.
The Bulgarian's 20th goal of the season ensures that his club cannot be caught by any of the play-off contenders, not even Sheffield United, the leaders of the chasing pack who defeated Nottingham Forest.
"We were edgy for quite a while," said the triumphant manager Harry Redknapp, "but I thought the fans would suck one in for us and, sure enough, that's what happened." As those fans swarmed onto the pitch in celebration, calling for their victorious team to complete a lap of honour, it was almost overlooked that Portsmouth had also regained the leadership from Leicester. Ignored, too, in those euphoric moments was the fact that Portsmouth had taken a considerable while to look the part of champions against visitors who could hardly have been more compliant.
Not only had Burnley arrived with the division's second-worst defensive record but after only eight minutes they lost Dimitri Papadopolous who had fallen awkwardly spraining his back. Already depleted by the absence of Lee Briscoe who had suffered a bruised leg on Saturday, Burnley had scarcely adjusted to their latest reshuffle when matters took a further turn for the worse after 12 minutes.
There are more inhibiting situations in football than the sight of Gianluca Festa overlapping but Steve Davis made the rash decision to bring down the big Italian. Paul Merson hammered the penalty against the bar.
With Merson taking time to recover from his miss, Portsmouth's game consequently suffered until the interval approached when Graham Branch's weak back header let in Bradbury. His shot was struck tamely at Nikolaos Michopoulos who watched Bradbury slice his next effort wastefully wide.
Nigel Quashie took over from Bradbury as the chief threat to Burnley with a shot that cannoned off the goalkeeper's legs. Denied next by an extraordinary clearance from Branch, Quashie then had a shot tipped over by Michopoulos before turning creator with the low cross that brought top-flight football back to Portsmouth for the first time in 15 years.
Todorov, surprisingly unmarked, swept it beyond a gallant attempt to save from Michopoulos and Portsmouth were up, notwithstanding an anxious last few minutes.
Portsmouth (4-4-2): Hislop; Primus, Foxe, De Zeeuw, Festa; Stone, Merson, Sherwood, Quashie; Bradbury (Pericard, 70), Todorov. Substitutes not used: Kawaguchi (gk), Harper,O'Neil, Diabate.
Burnley (4-5-1): Michopoulos; West, McGregor, Gnohere (Chaplow, 82), Papadopoulos (Maylett, 8; O'Neill, 54)); Moore, Weller, Davis, Branch, Blake; Taylor. Substitutes not used: Armstrong, Pilkington.
Referee: B Curson (Hinkley).
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