Pompey 1 Scunthorpe 1: They said what?

Pompey were held to a 1-1 draw against Scunthorpe at Fratton Park.
Kal Naismith battles for the ball in Pompey's draw against Scunthorpe. Picture: Joe PeplerKal Naismith battles for the ball in Pompey's draw against Scunthorpe. Picture: Joe Pepler
Kal Naismith battles for the ball in Pompey's draw against Scunthorpe. Picture: Joe Pepler

Here’s what those closest to the game had to say on today’s action...

Joe Gallen

We deserved the lead at the break. Maybe we could’ve been two up and I did feel we’d need a second goal.

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In the second half they came back into it more and their goal gave them confidence.

In the end a draw was a fair result, but I was pleased with our battling performance where we played some decent football.

Graham Alexander – via the Scunthorpe Telegraph

The first half was scrappy and they had changed formation to combat ours and nullify us and I thought both teams cancelled each other out.

We changed a couple of things at half-time, the players realised how good they were and we showed better composure in the second half.

We were more aggressive and did the basics well.

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We dominated the second half and deservedly got the equaliser and were pushing for that winning goal, but we had to keep the door shut at the back.

Pompey’s Nathan Thompson

I thought we were dogged and deserved a point against good opposition.

We worked on the system for the previous two days and the players adapted to it well and it helped us get a good result against Scunthorpe.

The second half was tough at times but a draw was a fair outcome for both teams.

Blues midfielder Connor Ronan

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Happy to make my league debut today, unlucky not to get all 3 points but buzzing to get MOTM, thanks to the fans for the warm welcome!

Neil Allen – The News’ chief sports writer

A point represented a decent result for Pompey despite having relinquished the lead in the process.

The Blues played well first half and were rewarded through Jamal Lowe’s early goal.

However, Scunthorpe were a far different proposition after the break and a draw was a fair result overall.

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Perhaps the biggest talking point was Kenny Jackett introducing the wing-back system, which in recent times definitely hasn’t agreed with Pompey.

Jordan Cross – senior Pompey reporter

A draw was a fair outcome as Pompey welcomed promotion-chasing Scunthorpe to Fratton Park.

But the Blues’ coaching staff would have been delighted with how quickly their players embraced a switch to a wing-back formation.

Kenny Jackett started working on the system on Thursday and shifted players out of position, but overall they adopted the ideas and impressed.

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Nathan Thompson dispelled concerns from some fans with an impregnable performance in a holding midfield role, which allowed Connor Ronan freedom to make an impact in the final third.

Pompey lost their way as the match wore on but will be pleased with a point against a side who have lost just one of their past 13 league outings.