Ex-Sunderland and Millwall striker Aiden O’Brien sends message to new Portsmouth teammates amid Danny Cowley’s recent tinkering

It comes after the Fratton chief has named only one unchanged XI since early October.

And the ex-Sunderland man explained how he and his colleagues need to remain professional, if they’re dropped to the bench.

After coming from the sidelines to score against Doncaster 10 days ago, the 28-year-old was handed a starting place against Shrewsbury 72 hours later.

But after netting against Salop in a 2-1 victory, O’Brien was, again, among the substitutes during the following fixture against Fleetwood.

He wasn’t disheartened by the decision, however, as he bagged the equaliser in the Blues’ dramatic comeback against the Cod Army.

Now, he believes members of Pompey’s squad should follow his lead.

‘If you’re not playing you can’t throw your toys out of the pram because, as you’ve seen with me this year, I’ve come on in two games and scored, so you’ve got to be ready. You have to be ready,’ he said.

‘He (Cowley) just wants to keep it fresh and freshen things up. He makes the decisions, he’s the manager, and he’s going to do everything in his power to choose a team that’s going to win the game.’

Cowley came under fire after his decision to switch from a 3-4-3 to a 4-2-3-1 against Fleetwood backfired.

Inside 40 minutes at Fratton Park, Stephen Crainey’s side had a 3-0 lead – and Pompey’s eye-opening fightback still wasn’t enough to appease some supporters.

But O’Brien described how the Blues head coach has the squad’s full backing.

He added: ‘We all believe in him, in that department. He chose a team (against Fleetwood) that he thought was going to win and at the end of the day you have to stay professional.’

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