A win for the people of Portsmouth - Danny Cowley's Crewe Alexandra verdict

Fans returned to PO4 for their first time in earnest since the Covid-19 pandemic against Crewe today, as their side delivered a 2-0 win.

Second-half goals from John Marquis and Marcus Harness did the damage after a first half in which pressure couldn’t be converted into a breakthrough.

Cowley could see plenty of positives in his side’s play as things shape up nicely at this early stage of the season.

He said: ‘It was a good day for the people of Portsmouth, it was good day today – this was for them.

‘It was a performance which warranted the win, there’s still plenty to work on but there’s good signs and it’s a step in the right direction.

‘In the first half we had too many touches in the final third and didn’t execute properly.

‘We maybe weren’t ruthless enough but I was pleased we got the balance right between being purposeful and not forcing the play.

‘We want to play quick but we don’t want to force the play.

‘I thought the first goal was important which John took well and the second goal was a really good team goal from us.’