Gaffer: Pompey to beat Oldham 2-0

They say you shouldn’t change a winning side and that has to be the case against Oldham.

The team is playing well, scoring goals and I think has some good players, so I would keep it the same.

On Tuesday night, for the opening 15-20 minutes I thought ‘hang on a minute, Bristol Rovers are good going forward’.

It was clear our defence had to up their game a bit, while Christian Burgess needed to calm down following some argy bargy with Ellis Harrison – and they did.

I was really impressed with the team’s display, while Stuart O’Keefe really impressed me in midfield.

During that second half we pulled their defence apart and Brett Pitman looks like he’s on another level.

I didn’t think he was going to start against Rovers because of his knee issue – after all we don’t want to overload him, he needs looking after.

But I am so glad he did play and now has eight goals for us.

In addition, I was very impressed with Oli Hawkins.

He is good in the air, chests the ball down well and has so much to give. I’m glad to see him get off the mark.

The team is developing well. I watch them train quite a lot and see how much work they put in and Kenny Jackett keeps them on their toes.

I’m happy with Pompey’s start – we’re not bottom like Plymouth – and I’m going for a 2-0 win.