Pompey striker's joy at opening Fratton Park account

The 24-year-old had yet to register in four League Two matches since joining the Blues from Doncaster in the summer.

Yet on Saturday he netted twice in a convincing 3-0 victory over Crawley.

Both arriving at the Fratton end, it took the striker’s season’s tally to three following a debut penalty at Coventry in the EFL Cup.

However, netting on home turf represented an important landmark in the fledgling Pompey career of Main.

He said: ‘I scored at Coventry in the EFL Cup but they are my first league goals and first home goals for Pompey.

‘It’s something I’m really pleased about it and a great feeling.

‘The first was a real team goal. I am the one who puts it into the net but the build-up was brilliant.

‘They are the things you work on in training, a quick pass and move and Enda (Stevens) delivered the ball and I was in the box trying to sniff those chances out, getting the half a yard you need.

‘My second was instinctive, it was a cross which took a deflection, dropped to me a few yards out and I managed to tuck it away.

‘It just popped up and you react off it to stick it away, you have to be in the right place at the right time and anticipate where the ball is going to drop.

‘We knew we had to upset the tempo and get at Crawley with a positive high-energy start – and it worked.

‘We didn’t want them to come to Fratton Park, pass the ball around and enjoy themselves. We wanted to make it tough for them.’

– NEIL ALLEN