Danny Cowley tackles prospect of Portsmouth returning to direct approach to save season against Bristol Rovers

The Blues’ head coach feels moving away from the beliefs which have delivered success for him throughout his time in football, would be counterproductive to his team’s chances of a top-six finish.

Cowley’s side face Bristol Rovers tomorrow looking to improve a run of three defeats in four, with just two goals scored in that time.

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The 42-year-old has been trying to impress a high-tempo game building from the back in that time with mixed results, but doesn’t agree a return to the more direct approach employed by Kenny Jackett this season would be the way to go now.

Cowley said: ‘There’s many different ways to play football, and Kenny Jackett has been successful over a longer period of time playing in a way which worked for him and his teams.

‘Certainly, he would have recruited players to play that way.

‘We have our idea, and I’m not saying our idea is better or worse, it’s just our idea.

‘You have to stick to your principles. You have to stick to what you believe in, otherwise what do you stand for?

‘For me, we have our principles and the way we’ve been able to win consistently.

‘We’ve played in a way which has allowed us to consistently win over 14 seasons.

‘Once you find a way of winning I’d be scared to come away from that.’

Cowley highlighted that with Marquis as his only fit senior striker, it would defy logic to play a direct game at present.

He added: ‘How could we play direct at the moment? We haven’t got a target man.

‘We haven’t got Ellis Harrison, Oliver Hawkins or Brett Pitman. We haven’t got anyone to play up to, we’ve got Johnny Marquis who’s a movement forward.

‘We can play into Johnny, we can’t play up to him. So we have to play the best way of playing with the players we have available.’

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