Craig MacGillivray's honest opinion on why Portsmouth failed to win promotion yet again

That’s the verdict of Craig MacGillivray as he reflected on last-day heartbreak and a final placing of eighth.

The Blues needed to beat Accrington on Sunday yet, ever unpredictable, Danny Cowley’s men turned in a terrible display when it mattered most.

A 1-0 defeat, coupled with wins for rivals Oxford United and Charlton, meant Pompey slipped out of the play-off spots in the final weekend of the 2020-21 campaign.

MacGillivray started all 46 matches, while earned The News/Sports Mail’s Player of the Season for his superb performances.

And he regards the team’s erratic performances as pivotal in once more condemning he Blues to League One.

The Scot told The News: ‘We were top at Christmas and then hit a sticky patch in February.

‘With the sheer amount of games we've had – and this is no excuse – no league has been consistent this year. That is the bottom line.

‘Have we been consistent enough? On the whole, especially since Christmas, probably not.

‘Ultimately that’s why Hull, Peterborough and your Lincolns are where they finished.

‘Okay, everyone is going to have a blip, of course they are, but it’s about having as small a blip as possible. Then drawing a line under it and moving forward.

‘Unfortunately for us, it has always felt like a roller coaster.

‘It’s very hard to put your finger on why, but, in general, you have to ask whether we have been as consistent as we’ve wanted to be since Christmas? And the answer is no.

‘That’s not blaming anyone, as a team we have to look at that and move forward from it. That’s why we're in this position.

‘Kenny lost his job, that has nothing to do with me, the club decided to speak to him and it is what it is. Then we went on a mini-run, but we haven’t been consistent enough.

‘On the whole, over the 46 games, as a team, we haven’t been consistent.’

There will now be a major inquest into how Pompey can resurrect their fortunes.

In four successive seasons in League One, they have been eliminated twice in the play-off semi-finals.

While Sunday marked a second finish of eighth in the table.

MacGillivray added: ‘I’m not pointing fingers, we win as a team, we draw as a team, we lose as a team.

‘As a club, we have all got to draw a line under it and move forward. That’s all we can do.

‘We didn’t make it, we fell short, so suck it up, learn from it, take the pain from it – and move on.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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