Last-gasp defeat ‘soul destroying’ for Altrincham manager Phil Parkinson

Altrincham manager Phil Parkinson admitted it felt like he had had his “guts ripped out” after seeing his side suffer last-gasp FA Cup heartbreak at Portsmouth.

The National League North outfit looked set to cap a brilliant performance by securing a deserved second-round replay after Josh Hancock’s 83rd-minute penalty cancelled out Ben Close’s opener for the hosts.

However, with four minutes of stoppage time played, Pompey snatched a 2-1 victory when substitute Brett Pitman headed home the decider.

Parkinson admits Pitman’s late clincher was “soul destroying” for the visitors as he felt it was Altrincham who might go on to snatch the winner at Fratton Park.

He said: “I’m extremely proud and I’m struggling to talk to be honest.

“It shows how emotional the FA Cup is, I feel like I’ve had my guts ripped out of me.

“To come away from Portsmouth, I shake my head at the words I’m about to say, we’ve let them off the hook right at the death with 10 seconds to go.

“The players felt we could have gone on to win the game let alone draw it.

“To compete with a team that have won this competition and been in Europe, this was the toughest draw we could have had and to go so close, it’s soul destroying.”

Despite plying their trade in the sixth tier of English football, Altrincham were more than a match for their League One opponents throughout.

The visitors were denied a strong penalty claim after only 11 minutes when Oli Hawkins appeared to trip the lively Jordan Hulme.

Ellis Harrison’s effort against a post was as close as 2008 FA Cup winners Pompey came to taking the lead in the first half while Hulme also hit the woodwork.

Pompey went ahead somewhat undeservedly, in the 56th minute courtesy of a trademark volley from Close.

Hancock looked to have salvaged a draw only for Pitman to head home at the far post from a Marcus Harness corner with virtually the last action of the game.

Portsmouth manager Kenny Jackett said: “Congratulations to Altrincham, they played very well.

“It felt like a game that could go either way, they gave us problems in the early part of the game when we were a little wasteful.

“We got ahead with a great volley from Ben Close and the goalkeeper didn’t have a chance but we didn’t capitalise on the openings and we left the door open and they got the penalty.

“Christian Burgess said the ref was correct to give the penalty. He felt he was about to pull the trigger and he had to make the challenge and I’ve got no complaints.

“It’s great to see us score from a set-piece in the 94th minute and get the winner, it’s not something we do very often.”