Aaron Collins’ latest Bolton goal earned a 1-1 draw to ensure Portsmouth’s Sky Bet League One title and promotion celebrations remain on ice.

Pompey were heading back to the Championship for the first time in 12 years when Abu Kamara scored a classy seventh-minute opener.

But Wanderers kept alive their own hopes of promotion to the second tier without need of the play-offs nine minutes before half-time.

Nat Ogbeta had not distinguished himself when Kamara raced beyond him to score with a low left-footed finish.

However, the former Manchester City prospect provided the assist for Collins to head in for a fifth goal in three games and his seventh since signing from Bristol Rovers.

It was nothing more than Ian Evatt’s side deserved in front of the club’s highest ever third tier attendance of 25,738.

Collins was denied a second by goalkeeper Will Norris in first-half stoppage time with Jon Dadi Bodvarsson unable to convert the rebound.

Bodvarsson missed a great chance to win it for Bolton after 69 minutes, while substitute and leading scorer Dion Charles hit the post three minutes from time.

Portsmouth manager John Mousinho saluted two-goal Colby Bishop as the league leaders moved to the brink of sealing promotion with a 3-1 win at home to Shrewsbury.

Top-scorer Bishop took his tally for the season to 20 to give Pompey the chance to secure a return to the Championship after a 12-year absence at Bolton next weekend.

Mousinho: “It’s a fantastic achievement for Colby to get 20 goals in successive seasons. He hasn’t played every game, so what he has achieved is brilliant.

“The result is the most important thing but the performance is important as well.

“With Peterborough and Derby not playing today, it gave us a chance to push on and extend the lead at the top. It wasn’t in spectacular fashion but we got the job done.

“I don’t think we played particularly well to be honest. We started well by getting the early goal but we became sloppy. We were slightly better in the second half but I think we were a bit jaded from Tuesday’s game. It was a difficult game to bounce back from.

“If you would have offered me a win having not played well, I would have taken it.”

Pompey took the lead after only three minutes when Conor Shaughnessy crossed from the left and Shrews skipper Chey Dunkley could only put the ball into his own net.

Shrewsbury levelled after 29 minutes when a break on the left saw the ball reach an unmarked Jordan Shipley in the box and he easily beat home goalkeeper Will Norris.

Pompey regained the lead three minutes before half time from the penalty spot after clever play by Kusini Yengi resulted in him being brought down and Bishop converted.

Shrewsbury played the second half with more purpose but Pompey finished the job off with 14 minutes remaining when Bishop slammed home from 10 yards.

Shrews boss Paul Hurst said: “To get a result, you must put your chances away.

“We had a game plan, which after three minutes we were thinking ‘do we tear it up’, but we had to make sure that we didn’t concede again.

“There was always the thought that we were going to be blown away but they didn’t perhaps play as they wanted to.

“I genuinely thought we would get something from the game but a soft penalty for them saw us going in at half time a goal down instead of level.

“The penalty was a terrible decision. If that had been at the other end, it wouldn’t have been given, trust me. An experienced referee got it wrong. It was an easy decision for him to make.”

Colby Bishop’s double helped a below-par Portsmouth beat Shrewsbury 3-1 to move another step closer to promotion.

Table-topping Pompey started with two centre forwards and the early pressure paid dividends when they took the lead on three minutes.

Conor Shaughnessy crossed from the left and Shrews skipper Chey Dunkley could only put the ball into his own net.

Pompey were in total control but their lethargic and scrappy play produced little.

Shrewsbury took advantage and equalised on 29 minutes. A break on the left saw the ball reach an unmarked Jordan Shipley in the box and he easily beat home goalkeeper Will Norris.

Conceding seemed to wake Pompey up and they regained the lead three minutes before half time from the penalty spot.

Clever play by Kusini Yengi resulted in him being brought down and top scorer Bishop converted.

Shrewsbury played the second half with more purpose but Pompey finished the job off with 14 minutes remaining when Bishop slammed home from 10 yards.

Victory left Pompey nine clear of third-placed Bolton with four games remaining.

Portsmouth manager John Mousinho was relieved to see his side take a point from their top-of-the-table clash at home to nearest challengers Derby after twice coming from behind to draw 2-2 at Fratton Park.

Substitute Owen Moxon’s 25-yard screamer 13 minutes from time ensured the League One leaders took a share of the spoils to move a step closer to sealing promotion to the Championship.

Mousinho said: “Having gone behind twice it always feels like a decent enough point.

“I just think overall we probably had enough of it but did not dominate the ball enough, but I thought on the whole, it was pretty good performance against a really good side so we will take the point and move on.

“We’ve just got to follow it up with a win at the weekend (against Shrewsbury).

“Derby sat in and they made it difficult for us, were really tough for us to break down and they countered us with pace. You have to deal with that and I didn’t think we dealt with it brilliantly.

“The first goal was a brilliant move and probably the first time we’ve properly moved it from side to side. I was really pleased with both goals; two very different goals because one was about a team move and the other one was a brilliant strike from the edge of the box.”

Derby went in front in the 23rd minute when the unmarked Joe Ward drove the ball beyond home goalkeeper Will Norris following a quick counter.

The lead only lasted four minutes as Colby Bishop flicked a delightful ball through for Abu Kamara to confidently slot home.

The Rams regained the lead 10 minutes before half-time as Ward’s effort from outside the box took a deflection before finding the corner.

In the 77th minute substitute Moxon latched onto a loose ball and thrashed the ball beyond Joe Wildsmith from distance to draw the hosts level.

The result keeps Pompey five points clear of Derby with five games to play, with third-placed Bolton a further four behind the Rams.

Derby boss Paul Warne said: “I’m not too frustrated at the point.

“If you had told me before the game we would come away with a point, I would have taken that. But it is disappointing to lead twice and not win.

“We’ve played a motivated, highly fit, confident, and well-organised side. The league table shows you that.

“We scored two goals and thought that it was enough to win the game, but we’ve conceded to a screamer which is disappointing as Joe (Wildsmith) hasn’t had a lot to do tonight.

“I think they’ve run out of ideas, which is why they’ve had to attempt shots from 30 yards. The players have worked so hard and I’m proud of them.”

Owen Moxon picked the perfect time to score a spectacular first Portsmouth goal as the league leaders twice came from behind to draw 2-2 at home to second-placed Derby at Fratton Park.

Moxon lashed home from 25 yards out 13 minutes from time as John Mousinho’s men moved another step closer to promotion to the Championship.

Derby went in front in the 23rd minute when the unmarked Joe Ward drove the ball beyond home goalkeeper Will Norris following a quick counter-attack.

The lead only lasted four minutes as Colby Bishop flicked a delightful ball through for Abu Kamara to confidently slot home.

The Rams regained the lead 10 minutes before half-time as Ward’s effort from outside the box took a deflection before finding the corner.

In the 77th minute substitute Moxon latched onto a loose ball and thrashed the ball beyond Joe Wildsmith to draw the hosts level.

The draw keeps Pompey five points clear of Derby and nine ahead of third-placed Bolton with just five games to play.

A first goal of the season from Myles Peart-Harris helped Portsmouth maintain top spot with a 3-1 win over Cambridge.

The opening half-hour saw Pompey dominate, but Cambridge’s confidence grew and they were rewarded with the opener after 38 minutes.

A corner was headed goalwards by Danny Andrew, and Will Norris could not keep the ball out.

That seemed to spring Pompey into life, and within six minutes the hosts had equalised.

Kusini Yengi was brought down in the box, but he dusted himself down to send the goalkeeper the wrong way.

Cambridge started out the better side in the second half, with Pompey struggling to get any fluency.

But after 59 minutes, they found their spark and went ahead.

Good build-up play saw Peart-Harris slide in to score from a Paddy Lane cross.

Cambridge pushed hard for an equaliser, but Pompey got a third after 71 minutes when Abu Kamara smashed home via the crossbar.

Substitute James Henry headed a 90th-minute equaliser to earn Oxford a 2-2 draw against Sky Bet League One leaders Portsmouth in a game that burst into life in the second half.

Tyler Goodrham shot the U’s in front in the 45th minute, taking Marcus McGuane’s pass and firing low past goalkeeper Will Norris and into the bottom corner after a pacy break.

Colby Bishop prodded the ball home from a yard to level in the 69th minute after a scramble in Oxford’s box when grounded keeper Simon Eastwood appeared to have the ball under control but then lost it.

It was Bishop’s 15th goal of the season.

Callum Lang, making his Pompey debut after signing from Wigan just three days ago, came off the bench in the 62nd minute – and with 10 minutes to go he flicked the ball past Eastwood from 12 yards after poor defending to put John Mousinho’s team 2-1 up.

But Oxford snatched a draw which takes them back into the play-off places when Norris parried Mark Harris’ shot and Henry nodded in from close range.

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.