Gaffer: Portsmouth lack in central midfield

Not a great day was it?

I've heard people moaning their heads off about Wycombe's tactics and time-wasting, and they are right, but we knew it would happen.

That should not deflect from our performance and it was really disappointing not to hold onto the win, but we cannot begrudge the Chairboys' equaliser.

I am not disappointed at being knocked off the top of the table '“ I'm disappointed with our consistency at Fratton Park.

I missed the Oxford United game, but that's Luton, Shrewsbury and now Wycombe in which I haven't seen us play well at home.

I know you have to keep the faith, but you cannot keep going on about a bad day at the office. We are inconsistent and that could be our downfall.

We have to get that consistency back at Fratton Park.

What positions worry you?

Take out Oxford and Plymouth, the other home matches have seen the central midfield given over to opponents who get on the front foot and want it more.

Tom Naylor just doesn't assert authority, I've yet to see the player that Burton fans were alluding to. While I don't think Ben Close is up to it, I don't know what he is meant to be.

Kenny Jackett needs to look at the centre of midfield and find a pairing. I couldn't fault their effort, they work really hard, but are not performing.

To have any chance of promotion we need consistency across a number of positions.

Who were the stand-out players?

Matt Clarke was the only one who delivered, in my mind.

Some of our best attacking play came through him as he embarked on one of those runs from the back.

But, importantly, he continues to be consistent when the team does not.

Away from home we have put in some good performances '“ and that's okay. At Fratton Park we don't want champagne football but a level of consistency.

Clarke gives us that '“ but not enough of the players did that on Saturday.

 

What did you make of the referee Craig Hicks?

The occasion got too much for him, he was absolutely shocking.

Blowing up for five seconds, giving free-kicks when there should be an advantage, sometimes I couldn't fathom what was going on.

Referees should be anonymous, but we seem to get ones like this at Fratton Park. He had a shocker, especially in the second half.

Having said that, he was right with the penalty he awarded them for Christian Burgess' foul.

 

Ratings

Craig MacGillivray 6

Nathan Thompson 6

Christian Burgess 6

Matt Clarke 8

Lee Brown 6

Tom Naylor 4

Ben Close 4

Jamal Lowe 7

Gareth Evans 6

Ronan Curtis 5

Oli Hawkins 6