Pitman sinks Athletic as blizzards hit Boundary Park

Windswept Athletic were dispatched clinically by play-off chasing Portsmouth at Boundary Park.

Arctic conditions and blizzards led to farcical conditions at times, and in the 63rd minute referee Seb Stockbridge halted the game as the home supporters cried 'off, off, off' with Athletic 2-0 behind.

The game resumed eight minutes later, however, and that score remained after Brett Pitman had struck in the first half.

Athletic boss Richie Wellens said: “The conditions were really difficult for both sets of players.

“It made a big difference that they won the toss and turned us around at the start so that we were playing into a bad wind.

“We were trying to play neat passing football when Portsmouth were clearing it long and trying to force mistakes from us."

Former Bournemouth and Ipswich hit-man Pitman, now 30, proved the difference as his 16th and 17th goals of the season were decisive.

“We had highlighted Pitman before the game because he’s one of the league’s top scorers, but then we left him free as a bird to score the first goal," groaned Wellens.

“I would have been happy with 1-0 at half-time because then we could have played to the conditions ourselves, but the second goal was a killer and a really poor one to concede.

“I do like us to play out from the back, but our keeper should have just cleared it up the pitch.

“Not enough of our creative players turned up today and we didn’t get enough decent balls into their box.

“In the second half, with the snow storm, the conditions were pretty farcical.

"I can’t be too hard on the players, but we couldn’t build any momentum and we lacked the quality to sustain many attacks.”

Pitman punished Athletic's sloppy defending with both goals in the first half.

The Pompey man struck first after half-an-hour, making the most of time and space in the Oldham box as he rose to head home Conor Ronan's cross.

Shortly before the interval, calamity 'keeper Johny Placide presented the ball to Pitman, and he controlled neatly before sliding home from an acute angle.

Pitman almost made it three shortly before the snowstorm struck, but he fired wide after darting in on the Oldham goal.

The hosts rallied slightly towards the end with Eoin Doyle and sub Duckens Nazon both going close, but they had been distinctly second best on the day.

Pompey's Jamal Lowe struck the post in added time.