Pompey v Doncaster: Gaffer for a day

We have to get out of this division and shooting ourselves in the foot, like we did at Blackpool, does not help.

There has been a turnaround with our home and away form this season and it needs to be sorted.

Last term we were predominantly in the top-six all season, but as soon as you walked into Fratton Park it would be all doom and gloom. It’s not like that anymore, thankfully. Now we need to win away.

I think our home form can help register a 2-1 victory in what should be a tough, tough game.

Paul Cook should make two changes to the side which lost at Bloomfield Road – Matt Clarke in for Tom Davies, while Kal Naismith is replaced by Milan Lalkovic.

For me, Clarke was the best defender we had last season and now we have him permanently following the deal which took Adam Webster to Ipswich.

Davies is okay, but I think Clarke has a hell of a lot of talent for a young lad and is a very, very strong player who does not lose many in the air.

Naismith is fine but Lalkovic looks to me as if he can beat a man and get a cross in. Whereas Naismith can be hit and miss, despite doing very well to come off the transfer list.

Kyle Bennett needs to be as far away as possible from the first-team, although Gary Roberts is a different player from last year and a real talisman who must start.

In Fratton Park games it has been good to see Barnet, Wycombe and Crawley come down and try to play a bit of football – which plays right into Pompey’s hands.

We should have also beaten Carlisle, Cook had to take two defenders off and go loaded up front when they had a man sent off, but he was too negative.

Gaffer for a day’s starting XI:

David Forde

Gareth Evans

Christian Burgess

Matt Clarke

Enda Stevens

Michael Doyle

Danny Rose

Carl Baker

Gary Roberts

Milan Lalkovic

Conor Chaplin