Gaffer: Pompey draw would have been a robbery

More late heartache, what did you make of it?

A draw would have been absolute robbery, I thought the goal would arrive earlier than it did.

It was a really weird game. There were chances in the first half but after the interval we lost the ball as soon as we had it.

Sylvain Deslandes looked shaky in the opening 10 minutes with a couple of clearances, but did get up and down the flank.

I can understand why he played, yet in a match of that importance it was a bit of an odd decision.

Who was your man of the match?

Christian Burgess and Matt Clarke were both imperious at the back, but Clarke just edges it.

We were under so much pressure in the second half that you felt Rotherham were going to score sooner rather than later. We were being bombarded.

Literally the whole of the second half we couldn’t get out of our half – and our central defenders were class.

I fear where we’d be in the table without them. They are composed, can play with no risks but are able to pass it out and are good in the air.

I think we’ll struggle to hold of Clarke in the summer.

You gave Pompey’s strikers very low marks.

All I could see was Brett Pitman and Kal Naismith arguing.

I cannot think of one instance of Pitman doing anything. Despite his goals, he doesn’t actually offer anything to the play.

He’s such a mardy so-and-so too, you can see that when he is substituted. He’s a bit moany and lacks a bit of pace.

I’m sure the only reason he has been given the captaincy is because he came from a pretty big club to be the biggest player in our squad.

I don’t see how Burgess isn’t captain, he leads by example.

What did you think of the midfield?

Ben Close and Dion Donohue were overrun. We’ve really lacked bite in there since Michael Doyle went and that needs to be addressed.

Stuart O’Keefe could have come in and done a pretty decent job, but he’s out injured, while Adam May can be a very good player yet not at the moment, he needs a few loan spells away.

Close must have to freedom to be more expressive, he needs somebody alongside him.

We have nobody to break up play when the opposition comes towards us. There was the opportunity for a hard tackle early on to make a statement – but it never arrived.

Lewis’ match ratings

Luke McGee 7

Nathan Thompson 6

Christian Burgess 8

Matt Clarke 8

Sylvain Deslandes 5

Ben Close 6

Dion Donohue 6

Jamal Lowe 6

Kal Naismith 5

Matty Kennedy 6

Brett Pitman 5