Defender adamant Portsmouth have to handle pressure they’re feeling

But the defender is adamant he and is team-mates should be able to handle the heat, after last night’s 1-1 draw with Bristol Rovers made it seven league games without a win.

The fourth League One draw on the spin also saw the Blues fall to fourth in the table after Sunderland defeated Gillingham 4-2.

The tension was palpable at Fratton Park with obvious fears among supporters about the direction the season is headed.

Home supporters in the 17,880 crowd greeted the half-time whistle with boos while there was a more muted reaction at the end of the game.

Walkes can understand the angst among Pompey fans and feels it’s right the players feel that response.

The 22-year-old reckons the team have to be big enough to handle what comes their way.

He said: ‘We’re feeling the pressure - but it’s right that we should feel the pressure.

‘If we want to get to where we want to be it’s something that we have to deal with. It’s as simple as that.

‘You can get caught up in it all, but we can’t afford to do that.

‘We have to put all that to one side and deal with it.

‘We are feeling it right now but that’s not a bad thing. We have to feel low when it’s not happening - and it’s just not happening at the moment.

‘We’re the ones who have to put that right.’

Referee Neil Hair found himself at the centre of a number of controversial incident, including two penalties against Pompey.

Jonson Clarke-Harris converted the first spot-kick as Tom Naylor was harshly adjudged to have brought down the striker to open the scoring in the 37th minute.

Jamal Lowe was also penalised for a foul on James Clarke in the 65th minute, but Clarke-Harris horribly skied his penalty.

Walkes feels those kind of calls are going against his team at the moment, but refused to use them as a reason for their plight.

He added: ‘I’m not interested in using excuses and we should be good enough to handle the things which go against us.

‘But we have been on the wrong end of some controversial decisions recently, and that was the case again.

‘The first one wasn’t a penalty for me and the opinion from the lads is the second one wasn’t either.

‘So it’s frustrating that these things are going against us at the moment.’