Pompey assess injured goal heroes

The Blues hammered Grimsby 4-0 at Fratton Park to give themselves a six-point cushion in the automatic promotion spots.

It was an outstanding performance made possible through goals from Kyle Bennett, Danny Rose, Carl Baker and Kal Naismith.

However, Bennett was forced off in the 45th minute with an ankle problem.

The in-form winger, who was replaced by Gary Roberts, had earlier passed a fitness test on a thigh problem to be included in the starting line-up.

There were also concerns over Naismith, who departed in the 68th minute, with Jamal Lowe taking over.

Pompey’s nine-goal top scorer sustained a hamstring injury after juggling the ball and flicking it over his head on the left-hand touchline.

Despite the wonderful skill, the Scot instantly signalled his damage and had to come off the pitch.

Both incidents represented downsides to another outstanding Blues performance, with 11 goals having arrived in their last three fixtures.

Now Pompey’s medical staff will monitor the pair ahead of Saturday’s trip to sixth-placed Stevenage.

Blues boss Paul Cook said: ‘We’re not sure how bad they are at present, it is something we will be assessing.

‘Kyle passed a fitness test on his thigh before the game but then rolled his ankle in the first half.

‘It’s a different injury and not connected.

‘Naismith looks like he has a hamstring. We will have a look at it and see how it settles down.’

Last night’s fixture was their ninth in the last 32 days during an exhaustive schedule for Cook’s promotion-hunting side.