Jackett praise as Portsmouth bounce back with win at Walsall

The Blues raced into a 3-0 lead to close the gap on the automatic promotion places to six points.

Goals from Brett Pitman (13 minutes), Omar Bogle (25) and Viv Solomon-Otabor (68) put the visitors well in control at the Banks’s Stadium, before two late Jon Guthrie goals provided some unnecessary pressure at the end.

Jackett was disappointed with the way his side conceded those two late efforts.

He was also perplexed by the way the hosts were allowed to ‘wrestle’ his players out of the way in the build up to each goal.

However, the Pompey boss was pleased with the way his side handled the challenge – particularly after the disappointment of that 2-1 defeat at Charlton on Saturday.

Jackett said: ‘It was nice to bounce back after the Charlton game.

‘It was a totally different type of game, tight pitch, quite a bobbly pitch and we needed to break with our pace and I think we did with the three forwards that we had.

‘They caused plenty of problems and we looked pretty free flowing on the break.

‘We were frustrated with the two corners conceded to make it 3-2, after being 3-0 up.

‘It’s a difficult situation because you know, they were just wrestling my two full-backs and keeper who were on the line with no attempt to play the ball.

‘That makes it very difficult, and with the referee under pressure from the home crowd after giving us a penalty, it was never going to be given against my keeper .

‘We came through it anyway, I’m pleased to say, and perhaps we could have scored a fourth.

‘We certainly had the breaks and the opportunities, but one way or another you have to come through it and we did.’