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Match Report
Portsmouth v Bolton 26 August 2003
VINTAGE SHERI PUTS POMPEY IN DREAMLAND
Portsmouth 4-0 Bolton
Stephen Turner reporting
A vintage hat-trick from Teddy Sheringham left the rest of the top flight staring up at unlikely pace-setters Portsmouth as sorry Bolton found themselves on the wrong end of a Fratton Park filleting.
The 37-year-old, discarded by Tottenham boss Glenn Hoddle in the summer, shot to the top of the goalscoring charts thanks to a thumping header, a simple tap-in and a last-gasp penalty, and saw his new club move ahead of Manchester City on goal difference.
Sam Allardyce's visitors disintegrated alarmingly in the face of Pompey's second-half onslaught, which yielded almost instant reward in the form of Steve Stone's scruffy 48th-minute opener.
Senegal star Amdy Faye immediately seized control of the middle third, quelling the threat - minimal on the night - of Wanderers' potential match-winner Jay-Jay Okocha and launching attack after attack for his side.
Had his outrageous attempt to lob Jussi Jaaskelainen from five yards inside his own half dropped just under the crossbar instead of clearing it by inches, few would have begrudged him the glory.
With Croatian Boris Zivkovic, a Champions League runner-up with Bayer Leverkusen, displaying plenty of guile on the left hand side and Sheringham linking up well with raw attacking cohort Yakubu Ayeigbeni, Bolton were left looking second best.
Not even the introduction of a portly Mario Jardel could inspire much of an attempt at a comeback, while Ivan Campo's contribution in front of the back four was wildly at odds with his strutting style.
Campo it was who brought down substitute Vincent Pericard to give Sheringham the chance of his treble from the penalty-spot.
By that stage the game was gone. Stone's kneed effort from close range following Patrik Berger's strong run and scuffed shot got Pompey going after a first-half of poor quality all-round, and a picturebook second for Sheringham followed nine minutes later.
The ball was worked wide left to Zivkovic, who spotted the former England striker making a late dash towards the penalty spot; a pinpoint cross was matched by an accurate and powerful header.
A rash of long-range efforts from Berger failed to trouble Jaaskelainen and it was left to Sheringham to take advantage of an increasingly dispirited rearguard with a slotted second from Stone's pass before his late flourish.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Teddy Sheringham (Portsmouth) - much more of this and Glenn Hoddle might regret his decision to let Sheringham go
Report From  , For full report and stats, click here.
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