Pompey's principles can allow them to flourish next season

A brand of football made for a higher level.
Jamal Lowe takes a selfie with his Pompey team-mates during the celebrations on Southsea Common. Picture: Joe PeplerJamal Lowe takes a selfie with his Pompey team-mates during the celebrations on Southsea Common. Picture: Joe Pepler
Jamal Lowe takes a selfie with his Pompey team-mates during the celebrations on Southsea Common. Picture: Joe Pepler

That’s the reason Jamal Lowe reckons Pompey will thrive in League One next season.

But the Blues’ attacking talent does not believe his team have seen an end to teams parking the bus at Fratton Park next term.

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Paul Cook’s side are still revelling in their late, late charge to the League Two title which was successfully completed on the final day.

That ensured Lowe’s team will be playing football in the third tier next season in the most dramatic style.

It’s proved anything but plain sailing for Pompey in League Two, however, taking until their fourth attempt to get out of English football’s basement division.

Now that’s been achieved, their January arrival from Hampton & Richmond believes they can flourish at a higher level.

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Lowe reckons Pompey’s passing style and determination to press high up the pitch will work better at League One level.

The 22-year-old, in fact, feels the game his team has been playing is more akin to Championship level – something borne out by their performances against teams from that league under Cook.

Lowe said: ‘League One is a slightly different style of football. You tend to get a little more time on the ball and it’s a little more tactical.

‘So it will be a new challenge for us. We have been playing Championship football in League Two.

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‘That doesn’t work all the time and doesn’t always go the way we want it to.

‘But if we were in the Championship playing our style of football I don’t think we’d look out of place.

‘That could hold us in good stead in League One. I think our style of play will push us forward.

‘It’s a positive and there’s a lot of progression to make still.

‘There’s League One, the Championship and the Prem.

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‘We want to be a Premier League team. That’s where we want to end up one day, so this is just the first step of the journey.’

Lowe sounded a note of warning, though.

He doesn’t feel promotion will equate to the end of teams coming to Fratton Park with a defensive mindset.

That has been a recurring theme in recent seasons with opponents putting a wall of bodies behind the ball.

Pompey have sometimes found that a tough challenge to overcome.

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There’s a hope that will lessen in League One and opponents will show more ambition.

Lowe isn’t so sure about that but in such situations he believes changes from the bench can make a difference.

He said: ‘There will be teams who are defensive still.

‘We tend to dominate possession and people tend to want to get behind us.

‘They want to keep the game at 0-0 for as long as possible.

‘But that is when substitutes tend to come in to impact the game.

‘That’s when they can make a difference over the last 20 minutes.

‘That’s when chances arrive.’