Gaffer: Frustrating Pompey had end-of-season feel about them

Judging by your match ratings you weren’t very impressed?

It was a grim performance and it almost seemed like Kenny Jackett told them ‘don’t push yourselves lads the play-offs are gone and we’re going to try something different’.

It was a very end-of-season performance which is annoying.

As it was Charlton won and we wouldn’t have been able to claim a play-off place anyway.

But when there was still a slight chance we had to go for it – especially against a team already relegated.

Given the amount of Pompey fans that travelled up were you disappointed they didn’t put on a decent display for you all?

I definitely was. It was a dour performance and we didn’t have a shot on target until around the 75th minute, which was after we were 1-0 down.

The atmosphere was quite flat. I don’t know whether that was because of the performance or because it’s the end of the season.

I think they both fed into each other. Even when Luke McGee messed up for the goal, there wasn’t quite a loud quarry of boos.

It was kind of like “oh well, here we go again” with Pompey being Pompey.

Dion Donohue had an awful game. He started the season badly, had a good middle period but is tailing off.

There were a lot of times when he tried to do too much with the ball or try to play a one-per-cent chance pass across the pitch and messed it up.

Matty Kennedy was doing the same thing when he came on.

What annoyed me with Kennedy was that he had the chance to make up for it, got into a great position in the box and then just passed it to the keeper instead of having a proper shot.

Who was your man of the match?

I would have to say Jamal Lowe.

He actually looked like he was trying and I gave him a six.

Whenever he got the ball he tried to get a ball into the box but either there was no-one there or if Oli Hawkins was there he didn’t trouble the keeper.

It was a very frustrating performance.

Did Kal Naismith being dropped surprise you?

I wasn’t surprised given his performance against Charlton.

I also won’t be surprised when he is released in the summer.

He did well last season in League Two but has struggled in League One and in Kenny Jackett’s system rather than Paul Cook’s.

Ratings

Luke McGee 5

Nathan Thompson 5

Christian Burgess 4

Matt Clarke 5

Dion Donohue 3 (Haunstrup 5)

Jamal Lowe 6

Ben Close 5

Stuart O’Keefe 5

Connor Ronan 3

Brett Pitman 4

Oli Hawkins 4 (Kennedy 3)