Colby Bishop Rescues Portsmouth with Late Equalizer Against Blackburn

Colby Bishop stepped off the bench and out of a year-long slump to rescue Portsmouth a point in a breathless 2-2 draw with Blackburn Rovers at Fratton Park.

The striker, with just three goals in the past 12 months and recently relegated to substitute duty, found the net for the first time since April, glancing in Ryan Kavuma-McQueen’s fierce drive to cap a wild, see-saw contest on the south coast.

Fast start, fast response

The tone was set almost from kick-off. Blackburn’s Todd Cantwell stung Daniel Bielica’s palms after just 22 seconds, a warning that this would not be a slow-burn Championship afternoon.

Portsmouth ignored it and struck first.

With less than three-and-a-half minutes gone, Jayden Meghoma swung in a cross from the left. Sean McLoughlin’s header clear only reached Zak Swanson on the edge of the box. The full-back watched the bouncing ball drop and guided a controlled volley through a crowded area, beating an unsighted Balazs Toth to ignite Fratton Park.

Rovers hit back before the home crowd could settle into the lead.

Harry Pickering slid a pass into Oladapo Afolayan on the left corner of the area. The former St Pauli winger drove at Marlon Pack, skipped around him and drilled a low right-footed shot inside Bielica’s near post. The keeper will not enjoy that replay, but Afolayan’s sharp footwork and directness dragged Blackburn level inside the opening exchanges.

The game opened up. Space appeared, tackles bit, and both goalkeepers were asked questions.

Kavuma-McQueen shines, Bielica stumbles

Seventeen-year-old Chelsea loanee Kavuma-McQueen again underlined why Portsmouth rate him so highly. Four minutes before the break, he seized on a loose, weak pass from Toth as the Blackburn keeper tried to play out from the back. Kavuma-McQueen drove into the box and unleashed a powerful left-footed strike, only for Toth to redeem himself with a strong hand to keep it out.

Portsmouth carried that energy into the second half. Kavuma-McQueen tested Toth again in the 54th minute, his shot pushed away, and Pack’s follow-up effort deflected wide. The hosts had the momentum, the crowd behind them, and Blackburn rocking.

Then Bielica blinked.

A poor clearance out from the Portsmouth goalkeeper was pounced on by Kristi Montgomery. The loose ball was worked to Ryoya Morishita on the right side of the area. The Japan international didn’t hesitate, driving a right-footed effort across goal and into the bottom left corner. From a position of control, Pompey were suddenly chasing the game.

Bishop breaks the drought

They turned again to Kavuma-McQueen, who refused to fade.

The teenager collected the ball on the right of the penalty area, back to goal, defender tight. He spun his marker smartly and hammered a powerful strike towards goal. It might have been on target anyway; Bishop made sure. The forward darted across the face of goal and flicked the ball in with his head, diverting it beyond Toth and sparking a roar that felt bigger than a routine equaliser.

For Bishop, dropped after his barren spell, it was a release. For Portsmouth, it was lifeline and statement rolled into one.

Blackburn, though, still carried a threat. The match remained stretched, tense, and there was one last twist almost waiting to happen.

Deep into stoppage time, Meghoma surged forward again and let fly, only for Toth to stand firm and preserve Blackburn’s point.

Table tight, questions lingering

The draw leaves Blackburn 16th on nine points, with Portsmouth one place and one point behind, and with a game in hand. On paper, it is a mid-table scrap in early-season traffic.

On the pitch, it felt like something more: a reminder of Blackburn’s ability to punish mistakes, and a glimpse of Portsmouth’s attacking promise when their young loanee and their once-prolific striker click into gear.

If Bishop’s header really marks the end of his drought, how different might Pompey’s season start to look from here?