Maguire: My sharpness is back

Chris Maguire believes his loan switch to Pompey has helped him rediscover his attacking instincts.

The on-loan Derby forward netted his second goal in three games for Pompey with a classy opener in last night’s crucial 2-0 win over Hull City.

But having spent the majority of the campaign out of the Rams first team, the 23-year-old reckons his increased match sharpness helped him produce a perfectly-executed angled lob over Hull keeper Vito Mannone to open the scoring.

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Maguire said: ‘It was a great ball from Scott (Allan) down the channel and I spotted the keeper off his line.

‘As a striker, you always want to score but maybe it was a bit of striker’s instinct that I just went for goal.

‘There was only one thing in my mind when I saw the keeper back-pedalling. But, thankfully for me, it sat up nicely and it was great to see it go in.

‘Hopefully I can bag a few more goals and help the team for the rest of the season. I feel I am getting fitter and sharper and that can only help me.’

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Maguire was a constant threat in an impressive display and believes Pompey can now build on the victory to have a real crack at staying up.

He said: ‘It’s a great opportunity for us. We’ve got to take it one step at a time but if we keep performing like that then we won’t be that far away at the end of the season.’