An interesting one at Fratton Park; a game that, on paper, should have been won at a canter by cash rich City, and on the evidence of a one-sided opening there appeared every chance that the Blues were going to clock up a greater return than our sorry one-day cricket heroes… not that the one-dayers really matter after last weekend, of course.
Yet in the second period, and buoyed on by a more resilient midfield showing, Pompey, thin on players and even thinner on confidence, actually came close to snuffing out an unlikely draw, with David Nugent in particular a culprit having fluffed his lines in front of goal.
Our Boot Wars battle of course paired up Hayden Mullins, in his Under Armour Dominate Pro, and Gareth Barry in a pair of Adidas adiPure – a boot that had started the campaign even slower than Everton.
In fairness to Mullins, he was afforded little help in the centre of the park, yet the newest boot on the Premier League scene showed some impressive touches, some weighty resilience and enough to suggest that its rather spicy price tag isn’t completely without substance.
At the end of the day though goals pay the bills, and on Barry’s wage ‘Citeh’ will hope that there are a few more in the offing. He may not have bagged the winner on Sunday – that privilege was left to Mano Adebayor – but his inswinging corner, expertly dispatched by a boot renowned for its assisting ability, ultimately provided the game’s defining moment, and you’d have to be as blinkered as Arsene Wenger not to accept that the Adidas adiPure did its job on the day.
Ransacker Verdict: A worthy performance from the Under Armour Dominate Pro, but the Barry-inspired Adidas adiPure returns to form after failing to impress on Damien Duff’s plates of meat the weekend before.
Barry (Adidas adiPure) 3-0 Mullins (Under Armour Dominate Pro)
Latest Boot Wars Standings:
Points-scoring:
Victory – 3pts
Draw – 1pts
Defeat – 0pt
1st Adidas adiPure (pld 2, pts 4)
2nd Nike Tiempo Legend III (pld 1, pts 3)
3rd Under Armour Dominate Pro (pld 1, pts 0)
Other Recommended Reading
- BOOT WARS: Mullins vs Barry
- BOOT WARS RESULT: Cole vs Koren
- BOOT WARS RESULT: Yossi Benayoun vs Barry Ferguson
- Boot Wars Result: Gutierrez V DJ Campbell
- BOOT WARS RESULT: TIM CAHILL v AARON LENNON
About the author
James is an experienced football journalist who edits two leading Premier League club mags. He has worked for Sky Sports and is endlessly complaining about shin splints. And Mark Lawrenson. His favourite boot is the Adidas Predator Powerswerve. Although it's rumored that he once owned a pair of Nicks boots!
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Just wanted to say this is a cracking feature! Give me a laugh every week.