Portsmouth boss admits midfielder's been harshly treated

That was the verdict of Kenny Jackett himself, as he made the call to drop Evans for the 1-0 victory over Fleetwood.

Evans was on the scoresheet at AFC Wimbledon and produced a strong display at Kingsmeadow.

But the 30-year-old was the man to make way as Ronan Curtis made his return after international duty.

Jackett opted to continue with Dion Donohue on the left, as Curtis started up front with Oli Hawkins.

And Jackett admitted that was rough justice on Evans.

He said: '˜It was a tough call.

'˜It was a harsh decision on Gareth, because he's been excellent for us.

'˜But the left foot of Donohue just tipped it slightly with it adding some balance.

'˜There were some real good crossfield passes from him and he is a longer passer.

'˜He also gives good set-piece delivery from central midfield.

'˜There were good choices for me but it was a bit harsh on Gareth.

'˜His running output is fantastic and I'm not sure if you can do that every game.

'˜Sometimes for Gareth it comes down to a straight choice between him and Jamal Lowe.

'˜In my time here I've had good options in that position.

'˜But, for Gareth, we'll need him. We'll need him Tuesday and we'll need him Saturday.

'˜He's a big part of what we're doing.'

Jackett opted for a change in shape after a dreadful first half in which neither side created much in way of clearcut opportunities.

That led to Curtis moving to the left with Ben Thompson advanced after a move to a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Jackett added: '˜You need to be flexible and sometimes throw a little more caution to the wind.

'˜In the first half we were little bit flat with our runs and not bending them enough.

'˜There were one or two offsides which really frustrated because we couldn't get in.

'˜It was tough for us to get in during that period.

'˜It was always seems be a first half here with a lot of free-kicks and no flow until the second half.

'˜That was the case here again, but we did put in a strong performance and I did feel it was comprehensive 1-0 win.'