Awful Pompey got what they deserved

What did you think about that?

Paul Cook summed it up perfectly – the best moment was when the final whistle went!

Exeter were always going to be a big test, but the nature of the defeat is incredibly worrying, we were awful.

So much for your confident prediction of a Pompey win.

I know, I thought it would finish 2-1 to us, but, in all honesty, if the game was still be going on now we wouldn’t have managed two goals.

The whole team just seemed flat, as if they weren’t up for the match, and, even after going 1-0 down, there appeared to be a complete lack of urgency.

David Forde, especially, was far too slow in getting the ball forward, and the sarcastic cheers from the Fratton End when he hit one straight to Christy Pym in the Exeter goal just summed up the mood of the afternoon.

Any Pompey player emerge with credit?

The only bright spark for Pompey was Jamal Lowe, who I thought was excellent.

He worked his socks off when he came on and it’s just a shame he couldn’t inspire the same sort of life out of his new team-mates. I’m looking forward to seeing more of him as, in the short space of time he was on, he looked seriously impressive.

Exeter’s strike force of Ollie Watkins and Reuben Reid were a real handful all afternoon, which cannot be said for our own front two.

Smith and Chaplin both struggled to make any real impact on proceedings and there was a sad inevitability about the loud cheers when Smith was substituted, given the amount of flak the former Swindon man has received recently.

What next?

Looking forward, we’re now down a place into fifth and I think the team is in real need of a shake-up.

I’d love to see Lowe get a start next week in place of Carl Baker, who I think is due a rest, and wouldn’t be adverse to Kyle Bennett or Gary Roberts being recalled to the starting line up.

With a few additions before the deadline passes, I still believe we can gain automatic promotion.

It’s crucial, now more than ever, that we start winning more games.

My ratings

David Forde 5

Gareth Evans 6

Christian Burgess 6

Matt Clarke 6

Enda Stevens 6

Carl Baker (Lowe 7) 5

Danny Rose 6

Michael Doyle 6

Kal Naismith 5

Conor Chaplin 5

Michael Smith (Roberts 6) 5