Grant reflects on Villa defeat

The penultimate Fratton game of the season saw us beaten for the countless time in this season, although in many ways 'am I bothered!'

Of course I care, I never want to see us beaten and every game means something, although I do want to be entertained for my money, and for me we got that entertainment on Sunday afternoon - it was a shame that we were beaten as I do not think we deserved to lose...

A point is something that Avram Grant also felt, as he told The Pompey Site, we deserved - although he was proud, and rightly so, of what he saw: 'I thought we deserved a point. It was an open game and there was very little between the sides even though our squad is very short and we had young players in the team.

'The two goals we conceded were disappointing, but we were playing with several inexperienced players and others that are out of position.

'No-one outside the top eight has played better football than us this season.

'Even with the circumstances against us we'll keep fighting and remain in high spirits. We'll do what every sportsman needs to do - to play until the end. We'll play with pride and professionalism. I'm very proud of the boys.'

You look at that side we put out, and - all in all - how we played, and have for most of the season, and can you really be that disappointed? Really?

The atmosphere was top class again on Sunday and Grant once again paid tribute to the fans: 'this club has touched my heart - I can't describe how much.

'The fans keep coming here in good spirits despite what's happened in the Premier League this season. They've given me a lot of strength.'

Surely, so long as the guy gets 'some assurances' as to what he can do over the summer for next season he will stay and lead the Blue Army again next season, right...

I think J, The Fear from Vital Villa, summed things up perfectly about the game in an email he sent me this morning in which he said 'it was a strange game!' Which, in many ways it was...

To be honest I really enjoyed it, especially the 1st half, as I thought it was a good open game of football - ok, perhaps we left ourselves a bit exposed at the back at times but what did we have to lose?

Had we made the 'right' choice with a final ball instead of the 'wrong' one, as we did so often, thing 'could' have been different, then again this is the story of our season, many 'ifs, ands and buts' but hey ho, like I say I enjoyed it anyway.

PLAY UP POMPEY!

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