Wow - that is what we have all been waiting for!

I will eat my own words. I had my doubts going into this game - understandably given our record against the top teams - but Town pulled it off and that was a massive statement to the league, given the disappointment of the previous week. Finally after three seasons we have beaten a side in the top six.

Coming through these three games with four points, whilst it could and probably should have been better could be huge come the end of the season. Remaining in the automatic places with an easier run of games to come should help us to drive on and solidify our position in the top two.

No run of games is easy of course, but it isn't Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth and Portsmouth. Plymouth and Sheffield Wednesday also face each other this week, so it is a huge chance for us at home to Cambridge to exploit either one or both of them dropping points.

The game started quickly and Town were on the front foot. There was a sense in front of a packed out Portman Road that confidence had not dwindled after our first loss of the season. Kieran McKenna has instilled a belief in the players that we haven't seen before in League One. The atmosphere was electric.

Leif Davis - who I think had his best game in a Town shirt - drove at the Portsmouth backline. Owen Dale could not live with him and it is where Town were most dangerous. Davis had a great chance to score his first senior goal, but a deflection saw the ball sail wide.

Tyreece John-Jules was a handful, although I was surprised to see him start after Freddie Ladapo finally got off the mark in the league against Plymouth. He too had a chance to give Town an early lead.

It was his strength in the middle of the park, holding off the Pompey defender, that released Conor Chaplin, who laid on the perfect pass to set Marcus Harness away at goal.

The ex-Portsmouth duo returned to haunt their old club, as Harness neatly controlled the finish into the bottom corner and did not hesitate to celebrate in front of the town fans. It was great to see as it is often ex-Town players who come back to bite us, not the other way around.

Chaplin again showed why he is now one of the first names on the team sheet. He played some excellent defense splitting passes. Not all came off, but it stretched them across the back and created plenty of room for Davis and Wes Burns to break into.

He was unlucky not to pick up an early goal when his effort slammed against the post. Could Chaplin end the season as Town's top goal scorer? It is certainly a possibility.

Town being town like to make things difficult for themselves though. My one worry and main criticism from the last few games is the amount of defensive errors creeping into our performances. For 99 per cent of games the back three are excellent, but for every one per cent they switch off we seem to concede a goal.

Since the ifollow commentary team mentioned several times during the first half at Hillsborough just how great our clean sheet record has been under McKenna, we have gone on to concede two goals a game. I am hoping it is just because of the strength of the attacking forces of the three teams we have played, but we need to be careful.

Cambridge have two prolific finishers up front, which keeps them in games. Peterborough score goals for fun and Derby have an excellent attacking force. We need to shore up those errors before these games, and Cambridge is next.

This time it was Luke Woolfenden who, at several times in the game, let the first long ball bounce rather than sticking his head on it. Just minutes after we took the lead this cost us as Dane Scarlett took the opportunity to drive the loose ball into the box. Neither George Edmundson or Janoi Donacien read the situation. The almost perfect Christian Walton charged out and brought him down. It was a trio of errors.

As you know if you have read my previous Viewpoints, I am not a fan of the standard of refereeing in League One. This one was a slam-dunk penalty, it was of Town's making, not the officials on this occasion.

I don't want to be too harsh on the back three. Their general play, providing attacking passes and last ditch defending is very good and pleasing to see. It's just those switch off moments that have crept in which need to disappear. If we can cut them out, I really can't see us dropping too many points this season.

There was a nervousness going into the second half. Town had thrown away leads in their last two and there was a sense of fear that a repeat of Plymouth might be on the cards. Especially as Portsmouth came out after the break and looked brighter. They started very much how town started the first half, although without creating any actual shots at goal.

Last week I questioned the substitutions McKenna made. I also said that I trust he will probably realise and learn from that. Boy, did he. Ladapo, who I really thought would start after his confidence boost, entered the pitch. It took him one touch. Davis drove another outstanding run down the left, picked out the correct pass into the box and Ladapo thumped home from 12 yards.

Celebration, relief, a whole mix of emotions could be felt around Portman Road. I think Ladapo now needs to start the next few games. His confidence will be ever growing and he might start taking some of the many chances he has been getting in games so far.

It was another superb bit of play from Davis. I hope the knock he took is nothing serious and he will be available again for Cambridge on Tuesday.

A quick word here for the one question mark over the referee's performance. He 'tallied up' the fouls by Owen Dale, mostly on Davis, about several times. He never once booked him. There does seem to be a fear to book players on Town's opposition. Thankfully it wasn't a performance which cost us points on this occasion.

Surely Town wouldn't throw away a lead again? Cue Sam Morsy. Our ever-reliable captain seemed to suffer a small brain lapse as Ronan Curtis ran into the box. The ball was bouncing away. He was going nowhere. Some people view the decision as harsh and that Curtis ran into Morsy. It was maybe soft, but he gave the referee a decision to make. Town need to wise up to the poor refereeing and stop giving them opportunities. I think this one probably was just about a penalty as well.

Colby Bishop stepped up once again and made it 2-2. Our signings were fantastic but I do wonder whether we missed an opportunity with Bishop.

One of the biggest differences this season is the relationship of the fans with the team and the sense of confidence around the whole club. In the last three years the crowd would either get on the players back or just sit in silence as the game fizzled out. This time the support and cheering got even louder after the disappointment of a second equaliser.

Within seconds off kick-off, McKenna's other substitute, Kyle Edwards, picked up the ball and began one of those special runs into the box that the Town fans have come to love him for. The biggest criticism of Edwards is his final product. He reminds me of Raheem Sterling, to be honest. His build up can be excellent but his final decision often poor.

He may have got a little lucky with this one, but his looping cross ended up exactly where it needed to. Wes Burns charging into the back post had a free header on the goal-line - 3-2 Town. The noise exploded. It wasn't as late as that Pablo Couñago winner against Coventry just seconds after a deflating equaliser, but it felt just as exciting.

Town held on to take their most important win of the season so far. Not only did it keep us second and give us a vital three points, but it put us ahead of Portsmouth after their game in hand, dented their unbeaten run and put Danny Cowley back in his place.

It was only a few seasons ago, after that Lincoln game, when Town fans were calling for the Cowley brothers to take over. Now we are glad he didn't. He has a good history, but has proven himself to be a lower league manager. He obsesses over budgets and how Town are where we are because of budget and not because of hard work. Sure, having money to spend helps, but we survived for years without any.

He commented on how much Championship experience we had. From what I have read it is about 200 games fewer than Portsmouth. He should do some more research into his own squad. I am glad McKenna, who doesn't often venture into mind games, took the opportunity to call his opponent out on it in his post-match comments.

We now go into three games against Cambridge, Morecambe and Lincoln before the next TV game against Derby. It is a massive chance to pick up all nine points, which will afford us a little less pressure on that big game against the Rams.

Cambridge can be dangerous, but we have enough about us to beat them if we can not give Joe Ironside too many opportunities. It will be nice to see Jack Lankester back at Portman Road. I hope and am sure Town fans will give him a warm reception. Three points please and potentially back on top of the pile.

Uppa Town.

Europablue added 11:09 - Oct 3 I agree that we shouldn't be leaving ourselves to the mercy of the referee to make bad decisions. I can't find a good enough view of the first penalty to comment, aside from saying that the ball should have never have arrived in that area, but the second penalty was a terrible decision. Morsy got the ball, I don't know how the ref found a penalty there. The positive thing is that we haven't come up short against any team this season. We only drew with Barnsley because the ref didn't allow a perfectly fine goal (yes, we shouldn't have let it two against them) and we only drew with Wednesday because the ref allowed an offside goal. For the first goal from Plymouth, there was a blatant foul that made the opening, and who knows what the score would have been if we kept it at 1-0. We have had a mini injury crisis at the worst time when we're playing a lot of the tougher sides. Anyway, we can only hope for better luck, but we need to cut out these sloppy errors so that poor referring doesn't alter results.

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jas1972 added 16:50 - Oct 3 Staying on the referring theme I also disagree over Portsmouth's second "penalty". I've looked at it time and time again and I cannot see why any reasonably competent referee would give that as a penalty - a coming together after the ball had been struck, fairly, by Morsey, when it was his ball to clear. If anything, Curtis committed the foul; and as for it being a brain lapse by Morsey, if he had left the ball alone then we would have been moaning about his poor decision-making.

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scants_itfc_88 added 17:30 - Oct 3 My view on the penalty was the angle of Morsy's body after he clears it. It probably was soft though, not denying that. Ultimately it left the referee a decision and it was always likely to against us. The main thing is it didnt cost us the three points - thats all that matters at the end of the day
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