How gutsy Portsmouth showed different side to game in ‘hard fought’ victory against struggling Cambridge

And the midfielder revealed his delight at making his long-awaited comeback after his recent injury nightmare.

The Blues edged a hard fought victory against the struggling U’s, with Colby Bishop this difference maker once again.

The striker’s 65th-minute effort proved to be the winner for John Mousinho’s men, as they continued their strong league form.

But after impressive displays against Cheltenham and Bolton, Pompey registered just four shots at the Abbey Stadium.

And Lowery claimed the Blues showed a different side to their game to grind out maximum points against Cambridge.

‘It was a really good away performance,’ he told The News.

‘It’s a really tough place to come and it’s not always going to be a pretty performance but you’ve got to try and grind out the result.

‘It was really hard fought, we had to battle off the ball but I thought our quality showed through at the end.

‘Before I came on, the message was to try to get on the ball to keep the ball moving and to play my usual game. Thankfully soon after I came on we were able to score.

‘It was really pleasing, though, it was a good performance on Tuesday but we’ve come here today and it’s been a completely different performance but we back it up really well.

‘We’re playing lots of games at the moment so not every game we’re going to put in those sorts of performances. It’s important when you’re not at your best that you win the game.

‘With all these games coming up we’ve got to rest and recover properly and make sure we’re ready to go again.’

Lowery made his first league outing since September as he returned from a hamstring injury, when he replaced Michael Jacobs on the hour mark.

The midfielder was met with his own chant from the sold-out away end, who were delighted to see the 25-year-old complete his much-anticipated comeback.

‘It was really special,’ he added.

‘I didn’t expect such a good reception but it was really nice.

‘It was really pleasing because it was a long and frustrating time out, but I’m absolutely buzzing to be back on the pitch.’