Gaffer: Not a nice Pompey win to play in '“ or watch!

• Wet and windy – but a win.

I doubt it was much fun to play in that – it wasn’t much fun watching in anyway!

It was scrappy and not easy on the eye but we’re making a habit of grinding out wins that way now.

• Some generous marks as well, who stood out for you?

Gareth Evans was my man of the match. He put in some dangerous balls and was up and back all day trying to make things happen.

It was his cross for Brett Pitman’s penalty, too.

• And that proved key.

It did. I didn’t really see what it was for but Pitman took it well.

It was quite similar to the one he won at their place, in that there didn’t look a lot in it.

Their penalty was odd, too. None of their players appealed for it and none of ours really contested it.

• Anyone else catch the eye?

Virtually everyone around us was saying Evans and Matt Clarke were the two stand-out performers.

Ben Close and Danny Rose both had decent second halves and Close obviously took his goal pretty well.

I felt Oli Hawkins made a difference when he came on.

He didn’t actually do much but I think Pitman worked better deeper and Hawkins allowed us to get further up the pitch.

With Pitman and Conor Chaplin not working too well I wouldn’t be too surprised if Hawkins started up front against Northampton.

• It always looked like a win after the second goal, right?

Well, there was that moment when Andy Barcham flashed one across the face of goal. Apart from that, there wasn’t much.

Cody McDonald had one early on when he poked the ball past Luke McGee. It was a bit like Kal Naismith’s goal against Plymouth – but thankfully the wrong side of the post.

• So the play-offs a goer?

I think that’s on the cards with the home form. We’ve drawn two games this season. If some of the away losses can be turned into draws I think we’ll do it.

• John’s ratings: Luke McGee 7; Nathan Thompson 7; Christian Burgess 7; Matt Clarke 8; Brandon Haunstrup 7; Ben Close 8; Danny Rose 8; Gareth Evans 8; Conor Chaplin 6; Jamal Lowe 6; Brett Pitman 7