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Lee Brown welcomed the battle to start with Connor Ogilvie - and insisted it will bring the best out of him.

And the left-back promised he’s happy to be written off following the new signing’s arrival after leaving Gillingham.

The 30-year-old did so after enduring a testing afternoon against livewire winger Shayden Morris.

Brown got to grips with that task, however, before stepping up with his powerful angled drive to settle the contest.

Brown said: ‘I’ve had competition my whole career. There’s always been two left-backs at every club I’ve been at.

‘It’s about fighting. I’ll probably get the best out of Connor and he’ll probably get the best out of me.

‘He’s a great lad from what I’ve seen already and he can play a number of positions.

‘It’s good competition for all concerned – I’ve probably been written off my whole career!

‘It is what it is. I’ll just keep working hard behind the scenes and see where it takes me - and then the manager will make his choice.’

Pompey had to endure a number of problems in the build-up to the Fleetwood game, including a gruelling nine-hour journey to Lancashire on Friday.

Then the Blues lost key midfielder Shaun Williams in the warm-up before the game, with Ogilvie pitched into an unaccustomed central midfield role.

Brown has no doubt those issue played a part in Pompey’s performance.

He added: ‘It was unsettling losing Willo who is massively important to us.

‘People have seen how important he is in pre-season - everything goes through him.

‘He’s calm, composed and gets us moving so it was a blow to lose him in the warm-up.

‘So credit to Connor coming in and playing somewhere he never played before.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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Written off my whole career: Fleetwood goal hero reacts to challenge for Portsmouth first-team place from Gillingham arrival