Portsmouth give Fratton Park pitch update ahead of Sheffield United clash amid recent postponement
Portsmouth have already had two Championship fixtures postponed at Fratton Park in 2026.
Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho has described the current condition of the pitch at Fratton Park as “fine” ahead of Saturday’s Championship clash with Sheffield United - but has warned it is likely to be “heavy”.
After Pompey’s clash with Ipswich Town on January 4 had to be called off due to a frozen pitch, their rearranged meeting, scheduled for last Tuesday evening, had to be postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, meaning two postponements in just over four weeks has sparked concerns about its condition.
Almost all of the country has been subjected to constant rainfall in recent weeks, with dry days proving few and far between, meaning some fears have already been raised about the prospect of United’s trip to the south coast this weekend falling foul of the weather.
Rain is currently forecast to fall in Portsmouth on Thursday and Friday, but Saturday itself is set to be dry with the sun even set to put in a rare appearance.
Saturday will mark exactly a fortnight since Pompey last used the Fratton Park playing surface, meaning it has a well-earned rest since Mousinho’s troops beat West Bromwich Albion 3-0 on it on January 31.
Mousinho gives update on Fratton Park pitch
Issuing an update on the condition of the pitch as of Wednesday afternoon, Mousinho, who watched his side lose 3-0 to the Blades at Bramall Lane back in November, told BBC Radio Solent: “It had that rest, obviously, after the West Brom game, and we didn’t play the Ipswich game on it. I think, naturally, it is going to be heavy.
“The entire country has had flood warnings over the past couple of weeks because of the amount of rain that we’ve had. I think it’s unprecedented, even for this time of the year, to have the constant rain that we’ve had over the past three or four weeks.
“It’s going to be heavy, it’s going to be saturated. The pitch itself is fine, it’s just how it sort of holds up on the day based on the rest of the rain that we have this week.”
United will make the long journey south with ambitions of getting back to winning ways after Monday night’s 2-1 defeat to Middlesbrough at Bramall Lane.
Meanwhile, Pompey, who were beaten 1-0 by Preston North End at Deepdale last time out, are unbeaten in their last five Championship home games, winning three.