Gaffer: Portsmouth were never going to score

Gaffer for the Day Paul Fletcher was frustrated over Pompey's failure to score against Gillingham. Picture: Joe Pepler

What did you make of that?

We could still be playing now and not have scored.

Gillingham were chucking themselves at the ball, Brett Pitman had two headers across the box with nobody running in to tap in, it just wasn't going for us.

I cannot moan at our second-half display, we looked like a good side, but the first-half performance was shocking and we gave ourselves a mountain to club.

At least in the second half we appeared capable of coming back, it just wasn't our day, we couldn't score.

I just wish someone had gambled a few more times and followed Pitman's headers in.

You mentioned the first half.

Yes, it was terrible.

With Gillingham's first goal, you don't save them, but I was so disappointed with the manner of the second, it was Sunday League defending.

I was in the Alliance Lounge for my birthday and my mate didn't want to come back out after the interval! I persuaded him to because I felt we might nick one early '“ but didn't!

Perhaps we were tired in that opening 45 minutes and some players needed a rest, we have played a lot of games recently.

Who impressed you?

When Ben Thompson came on he was a breath of fresh air.

He won the ball, wanted to win the ball, had that bit of fire to him, wanted to make that pass and wanted to make that challenge.

If only we had started the match like that. Ben Close bottled a few challenges at times in the first half, but Thompson went into the 50-50s.

When the half-time substitutions were made, I thought it was maybe too defensive, a like-for-like swap, but it worked.

We improved in the second half and Thompson was a very good sub.

What next?

We are not going to win every game, it has still been a fantastic start to the season and I think we'll now go to AFC Wimbledon and beat them.

It was always going to be a tough game against Gillingham, a side down there. Teams do come to us and raise their performances.

The thing is, sides below us also dropped points. So we're still three ahead '“ and with a two better goal difference!

Ratings

Craig MacGillivray 6

Nathan Thompson 6

Jack Whatmough 6

Matt Clarke 6

Lee Brown 6

Tom Naylor 6

Ben Close 5 (Ben Thompson 8)

Jamal Lowe 7

Gareth Evans 6 (David Wheeler 7)

Ronan Curtis 6

Brett Pitman 6