Match ends, Portsmouth 6, Cheltenham Town 1.
PortsmouthPortsmouth6CheltenhamCheltenham Town1
Kal Naismith scored twice as Portsmouth thumped Cheltenham at Fratton Park to seal the League Two title in improbable style.
Pompey had to win and hope both Plymouth and Doncaster dropped points to climb from third place to the top of the table.
A bumper home crowd were jumping for joy on 13 minutes when Cheltenham defender Daniel O'Shaughnessy sliced an attempted clearance into his own net from Enda Stevens' cross.
Kyle Bennett's deflected effort doubled their lead to spark a second-half goal spree.
Naismith made it 3-0 with a low shot from the edge of the penalty area before substitute Jamal Lowe drilled in a fourth.
Gareth Evans' well struck penalty further extended Pompey's lead after Gary Roberts had been hauled down.
Substitute James Dayton pulled one back for Cheltenham before Naismith doubled his tally after beating the visitors' offside trap.
Plymouth's draw at Grimsby coupled with Doncaster's defeat by Hartlepool saw Pompey claim their first trophy since Harry Redknapp guided them to the FA Cup in 2008.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
Line-ups
Portsmouth
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1Forde
- 26Evans
- 6Burgess
- 5Clarke
- 3StevensBooked at 50mins
- 4RoseSubstituted forAborahat 71'minutes
- 8Doyle
- 7BakerSubstituted forLoweat 60'minutes
- 22Naismith
- 23Bennett
- 19ChaplinSubstituted forRobertsat 61'minutes
Substitutes
- 11Roberts
- 13O'Brien
- 15Kabamba
- 16Whatmough
- 18Lowe
- 24Linganzi
- 29Aborah
Cheltenham
Formation 4-4-2
- 1Brown
- 17CranstonSubstituted forBarthramat 66'minutes
- 15Boyle
- 24O'Shaughnessy
- 33Davis
- 7PellSubstituted forDaytonat 54'minutes
- 18Rowe
- 4StorerBooked at 29mins
- 8Waters
- 30HolmanSubstituted forMunnsat 71'minutes
- 9Wright
Substitutes
- 2Barthram
- 5Downes
- 11Munns
- 12Kitscha
- 19Wootton
- 21Dayton
- 27Winchester
- Referee:
- Chris Sarginson
- Attendance:
- 17,956
Match Stats
Home TeamPortsmouthAway TeamCheltenham
- Possession
- Home63%
- Away37%
- Shots
- Home15
- Away11
- Shots on Target
- Home8
- Away5
- Corners
- Home5
- Away3
- Fouls
- Home6
- Away7
Live Text
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Post update
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Full Time
Second Half ends, Portsmouth 6, Cheltenham Town 1.
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Post update
Corner, Cheltenham Town. Conceded by Christian Burgess.
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Post update
Attempt blocked. Jack Munns (Cheltenham Town) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
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Post update
Attempt saved. Jack Munns (Cheltenham Town) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
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Post update
Kyle Bennett (Portsmouth) wins a free kick on the left wing.
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Post update
Foul by James Rowe (Cheltenham Town).
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Goal!
Goal! Portsmouth 6, Cheltenham Town 1. Kal Naismith (Portsmouth) left footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Michael Doyle.
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Post update
Attempt missed. Kal Naismith (Portsmouth) header from the centre of the box misses to the right.
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Corner, Portsmouth. Conceded by Scott Brown.
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Post update
Attempt saved. Kyle Bennett (Portsmouth) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the top right corner.
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Post update
Christian Burgess (Portsmouth) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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Post update
Foul by Billy Waters (Cheltenham Town).
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Goal!
Goal! Portsmouth 5, Cheltenham Town 1. James Dayton (Cheltenham Town) left footed shot from the right side of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by James Rowe.
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Goal!
Goal! Portsmouth 5, Cheltenham Town 0. Gareth Evans (Portsmouth) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the top right corner.
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Post update
Penalty Portsmouth. Gary Roberts draws a foul in the penalty area.
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Penalty conceded by Liam Davis (Cheltenham Town) after a foul in the penalty area.
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Post update
Foul by Jamal Lowe (Portsmouth).
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Liam Davis (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Goal!
Goal! Portsmouth 4, Cheltenham Town 0. Jamal Lowe (Portsmouth) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Gary Roberts.
