Portsmouth can thank Carlisle United for big moment in title race with Derby County: View | OneFootball

Portsmouth got what could be a vital point from their game against Derby County on Monday, and they have the team who sits bottom of the table to thank for it.

Fratton Park hosted a brilliant 2-2 draw between Pompey and the Rams on Tuesday night, and there were elements to each goal that showed why the two teams sit first and second in the league.

Derby realised a vulnerability in Portsmouth's defence, because their full-backs like to get so high up the pitch, and Paul Warne's side were able to exploit it. They scored their two goals in the first half courtesy of wing-back Joe Ward, who was able to find space high up the pitch.

Abu Kamara responded to Ward's first goal with some intricate play by Colby Bishop that led to the number nine nodding his loanee teammate in behind so that he could calmly slot the ball past Joe Wildsmith in net.

But the real moment of the night came in the second half. Derby had looked threatening on the counter-attack and John Mousinho's side struggled to break them down. Sometimes, in these games, with the quality of the two teams and what was on the line, a moment of magic is all that can unlock the doors, and that's what former Carlisle United player Owen Moxon did in the 77th minute.

Owen Moxon's point-saving wonderstrike against Derby

The midfielder came off the bench in this match, as former Ipswich Town midfielder Lee Evans was picked ahead of the January signing, who moved down to the south coast for an undisclosed fee and signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with the club.

He has been a regular starter throughout his time as a professional footballer, which has only been less than two-years long, even though he is 26, but coming to Portsmouth has come with inconsistency in terms of that starting spot. He's been rotated in and out of the line-up a lot in order to get him used to Mousinho's way of playing football.

Sometimes you just have to throw that style of play stuff out the window. Sometimes you just need to trust your ability and go with it, and that's exactly what he did.

Moxon wriggled free of the pressure that was being applied by the Derby midfielders, got the ball out of his feet, and, from close to 30 yards out, he found the top corner.

That was his first goal for his new club, and you could tell that he was pretty happy with it after the match. "It felt amazing to get my first goal and to get it at the Fratton End, too," said Moxon, via the Portsmouth News. "That’s something I’ve been wanting to do since I signed. It was a big goal too, so I was delighted to come on and help the team."

He added that he was disappointed that his team didn't get the win, but that point that he got them means that Portsmouth will be promoted if they win their next two matches.

The opposition manager, on the other hand, said he was disappointed to lose out on three points because of the screamer that the 26-year-old produced.

This may be an all-new side of Moxon that Pompey fans hadn't yet seen, but he honed that ability with his old Cumbrian side.

Portsmouth can thank Carlisle for their point against Derby

The two key components of his goal are parts of his game that stood the midfielder out from the rest when he was playing for the Blues.

Firstly: the ability to feel and understand pressure. Before Moxon makes the turn that gives him the space to shoot, James Collins is getting across to put pressure on him from behind, and there's another Ram in front of him. That ability to be aware of that, and have that aggressive mindset to dart forward, instead of taking the safe option of going backwards, is something that Carlisle fans became accustomed to him doing. His confidence in himself to take risks like that on the ball is special, and something that will serve Pompey well for years to come.

The second part has a few subcomponents. Obviously the strike is sensational; just go back and watch it again to remind yourself of just how good it was. But what is more impressive is the ability to do that at such a moment.

A loss in this game would have had Derby right on Portsmouth's heels. Sure, automatic promotion still would have been likely, but they wouldn't have wanted that added pressure on top of it.

When we talk about great athletes, what you do in the defining moments is what separates the great from the good. Now, by no means has Moxon established himself as a great player, in the grand scheme of things, but he has that trait that many great players do: to be able to perform at your best when the moment is at its biggest.

In the second leg of Carlisle's League Two play-off semi-final, against Bradford City, last season, the Cumbrian side conceded a poor goal just after the second period of extra time had begun, which put the scores back level, on aggregate. It was just over five minutes later and Carlisle were up the other end, pressing hard to try and get a winning goal. The ball was cleared out to Moxon, who delivered an inch-perfect cross to find the head of Ben Barclay, who scored the winner for the Blues.

Not only did he set up the moment that sent the Blues to Wembley, the midfielder was also voted as Man of the Match for his performance in the final, which saw him score his side's penultimate penalty to send them up to League One.

Moxon first showed these traits on the biggest stage for his hometown club, and his new club can thank his old one for it because it's now benefitting them.