Gaffer: Forget the play-offs, but those Portsmouth players gave everything against Oxford United - and the fans appreciated it

How did you see that match?

Despite defeat, my ratings are high because every player worked his socks off for the team, everyone was very much in it together.

The red card swung it in Oxford’s favour, but we nearly got a result, which is why our players were applauded off at the final whistle.

We appreciated their effort. They came up short in the end, the pressure eventually told, had it been 11 v 11 then it would have been a totally different game.

But those players gave everything, they worked so hard as a team, and we will always stick with them, that’s what Pompey supporters are like.

What was your opinion of Joe Morrell’s red card?

It ruined the game. When I first saw it, I didn’t think it was a sending off, Cameron Brannagan put his head down, while Morrell is only a small player.

It was yellow at worst. In fact, the person sitting next to me thought the George Hirst challenge which later caught the defender with a trailing arm was worse.

Then we had the incident at half-time. We didn’t know anything about it until the Tannoy announcement, not a clue. So we just had another drink during the delay!

It seems to happen these days, everything stops until that person is safe.

Who stood out for you?

Ronan Curtis gets my man of the match for his work-rate throughout and that second goal.

His attitude seemed a lot better, there was that willingness to work when not on the ball, trying to link-up play in difficult circumstances.

Curtis is used to the Kenny Jackett formation, now he’s more of a striker and not as effective, likewise when Marcus Harness is more central.

I could have easily given man of the match to Gavin Bazunu, he pulled off a lot of good saves and wasted plenty of time – but you can’t blame him!

What do you expect from the rest of this season?

We are not getting into the play-offs. The gap is now 14 points – and I thought it was too big even before the Oxford game.

The Eisners have never thrown money at it or paid over-inflated prices, they don’t believe in it. They want to run it as a business, while occasionally opening the coffers for good value.

They have invested heavily on the ground for health and safety and are now revamping it, but let’s hope more money is released next season.

I expect us to now consolidate mid-table. If we don’t get some results, we could be flirting with relegation.

Gavin Bazunu – 8

Hayden Carter – 7

Sean Raggett – 8

Connor Ogilvie – 6

Kieron Freeman – 7

Denver Hume – 7

Joe Morrell – 7

Louis Thompson – 7

Michael Jacobs – 8

Ronan Curtis – 8

George Hirst – 7

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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