Leam Richardson: Pompey show bettered Portman display

That was the verdict of Leam Richardson as he reflected on last night’s FA Cup progress for Pompey.

Gary Roberts and Marc McNulty both grabbed first-half goals as the Blues defeated Ipswich 2-1 on a bitterly cold Fratton evening.

It represented a Cup upset over the Championship side who had come within two minutes of elimination in the first game 10 days earlier.

That 2-2 draw was an impressive display from Paul Cook’s side.

Yet for assistant boss Richardson, last night topped it.

He said: ‘I think you have got to say yesterday’s performance was better because we have won and gone through.

‘To go away from home to a top Championship side like Ipswich and perform like we did was credit to everybody involved at the football club.

‘And to manage to bring them back here to Fratton Park and then win is a great pleasure to be involved in.

‘Through the season our lads have had a few disappointments having come together as a so-called new team and so far every time they’ve had a little knock they have picked themselves up and gone again.

‘Last night was no different.

‘You look at their collective work and there are certain lads who are playing well, they are not playing well because of their ability, they are playing well because of the work-rate out of possession.

‘The other lads are seeing that from the fringes as well so when they come in it’s important they replicate that.

‘And there was no surprise we went through.’