Portsmouth 0 Swansea 2: It's looking Dyer for Adams and Pompey as holders crash out

25 January 2009 20:49
Jason Scotland scored Swansea's second goal from the penalty spot   More... Portsmouth 0 Swansea 2: All the action as it happened United boss Fergie finally confesses about Pompey defeat PORTSMOUTH FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE NET Clearly, the message fell on deaf ears as Nathan Dyer and Jason Scotland scored the goals that earned a home tie against Fulham in the fifth round. First, Scotland set up Dyer after winning the ball on the halfway line. His pass over Sylvan Distin's head found Dyer, who fired the ball past David James in the Portsmouth goal. Then Scotland scored from the spot after Nadir Belhadj brought down Jordi Gomez to give Martinez's side a two-goal lead at half-time. But they rode their luck in the second half for, on another day, Peter Crouch could have scored a hat-trick. Cup defeat leaves Portsmouth, without a League win since November, with only a relegation struggle to occupy the rest of the season. Loan star: Dyer silences the Portsmouth crowd They face Aston Villa on Tuesday night and Adams is convinced that the elusive victory is only a matter of time. But mark the name of Martinez, as he clearly has a bright future in management. He is erudite, engaging and enlightening, talking not the whirlwind speak of someone thrust into the limelight, but the more restrained talk of staged development. The 35-year-old Catalan came into English football when David Whelan bought Wigan in the mid-Nineties and raided Spain for his Three Amigos, Martinez, Isidro Diaz and Jesus Seba. Martinez joined Swansea as a player in 2003, skippering them clear of relegation to non-League football, but it is since he re-joined them from Chester City two years ago as manager that he has made his impact. 'It is about mastering what you're good at,' he said. 'If we had come here and tried to do something we are not good at, I think Portsmouth would have given us a lesson.' Certainly Martinez does not want to overplay this famous victory, pleased though he is for the fans. 'We want to get into the Premier League but we must be realistic. It could take two, three, four, five years but we do have a group of players who are in tune. 'Our priority is the League. I think the Cup is something for the fans. They deserve recognition. When we go away in the Championship we always get fantastic support. For them today is very special.' Two of the Swansea heroes are on loan: man of the match Dimitrios Konstantopoulos from Coventry and Dyer, who is on a season-long loan from Pompey's rivals Southampton. He was verbally abused every time he touched the ball but said: 'I was expecting to come here and get some stick, but the way to answer it is with a good performance and a win. Portsmouth boss Tony Adams and Swansea coach Roberto Martinez give instructions to their respective teams 'Actually, it inspired me because you just want to prove people wrong. As soon as I joined Swansea I said they were a Premier League side and play some great football, and on our day we can match anybody.' Konstantopoulos, whose acrobatics kept Swansea's lead intact, grew up in Greece watching the FA Cup on TV. But he may be back at Coventry before the next round. 'My loan ends on Saturday but we will have to sit down and see what happens,' he said. For Adams, who admits his side were 'outplayed and outfought' staying in the Premier League is now the sole focus. 'Maybe we will all start concentrating and get some points now,' he said. 'We will have to see how tight it will be in the League but we will scrap for every game and I'm not going to run away from it. 'I will be here on Tuesday motivating the team and trying to get them going against Villa.' The magic is over for this season for the man who collected three winner's medals with Arsenal. But for Martinez, what he calls 'the best cup competition in the world' is still in his sights. Dimitrios Konstantopoulos *** It will not be cheap, but Swansea fans may just be ready to pay up to have Dimitrios Konstantopoulos’s name emblazoned on their replica shirts. The man with a name that looks like a Countdown Conundrum is known simply as ‘Dimi the Greek’ at Swansea, where manager Roberto Martinez wants to extend his loan from Coventry until the end of the season. Dimi says: ‘Obviously I prefer playing to sitting on the bench.’ OK Swansea, give us a K . . .   More... Portsmouth 0 Swansea 2: All the action as it happened United boss Fergie finally confesses about Pompey defeat PORTSMOUTH FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE NET  

Source: Daily_Mail