Gaffer: Finally a Portsmouth side using its midfield - but that protest was a waste of time and money

How do you assess that Pompey display?

The change of shape to 4-3-3 helped, we were encouraging playing the ball on the deck, playing through midfield, and that was the difference. We’ve got a good midfield on paper.

I’m not sure what John Mousinho said at half-time, but in the second half there was more urgency and increased pressure on the press, forcing Exeter into mistakes at the back.

Overall, we deserved it, certainly for the second-half showing. Some have said Exeter were dominant in the first half, but I didn’t see that.

The crowd was pretty muted, Fratton Park certainly wasn’t bouncing like it normally is. That’s symptomatic of the lack of league wins and the nervousness among the fans. Had we conceded first, it could have gone the other way.

Who stood out for you?

Marlon Pack is my choice of man of the match, he controlled the game and produced a proper captain’s performance.

He broke up play, showed some nice touches, and that volley was pretty astounding, you see so many of those fly over the bar.

That strike was absolutely outrageous, it reminded me of David Norris’ goal, apart from it was the other side with a different foot.

That was the moment of quality the game was crying out for, it could have gone either way at that point.

What do you make of the John Mousinho appointment?

Obviously it’s a risk, but people have to get their first job somewhere. He comes across really well.

Along with Ryley Towler and Matt Macey, these are the very early shoots that this model under a sporting director might work for us.

Obviously there’s a long way to go, but Mousinho’s got that first win and the crowd were singing his name.

Of all the names bandied around as head coach, none of them popped out as being particularly exciting other than the long shot of Chris Wilder.

Mousinho is definitely a bit left field for us. It’s definitely risky – but that’s indicative of the new changes at the club.

What did you think of the protest?

It seemed like a bit of a waste of time and money. The timing was incredibly poor, why would you want your name attached to that?

There didn’t seem to be much support for it on Twitter, while generally around me in the North Stand lower, fans thought it was a waste of money.

It was poor form for me. That day was about showing respect to Anton, Ace and Mac, while we have a new head coach marking his first match.

The club is heading in a new direction – and these people are protesting even though changes have been made.

Matt Macey – 8

Zak Swanson – 8

Sean Raggett – 7

Ryley Towler – 7

Connor Ogilvie – 7

Marlon Pack – 9

Joe Morrell – 8

Ryan Tunnicliffe – 7

Owen Dale – 7

Michael Jacobs – 6

Colby Bishop – 7