Goal hero Marcus Harness' candid confession after inspiring Portsmouth triumph at Wycombe

The Blues’ top scorer converted George Hirst’s pass in the 73rd minute at Wycombe, earning a first league away win since the opening day of the season,

It represented a seventh goal of the campaign for the winger, who has established himself as Danny Cowley’s chief scoring threat.

However, what appeared to be a far-post tap-in didn’t quite turn out that way.

It took two touches to bundle the ball home and send the 1,420 away fans wild as they celebrated a rare Pompey success on their travels.

Harness told The News: ‘When it’s so clear and it’s a case of “I have to score this”, you start thinking in your head, rather than when it’s just instinct and you put it in.

‘I was trying to shoot and it just got caught under my feet.

‘Luckily the ball landed right in front of me when I bobbled it – so I could then just stick it in the net.

‘The keeper was already beaten and the defender tried to kick me and bring me down I think, but he was nowhere near it, so I got to tap it in.

‘George (Hirst) had to pass, he said if we were 2-0 up he probably wouldn't have!

‘But he passed it early, whereas if he had taken another touch it might have killed the time for me.

‘I’m really pleased he did that, he had a great performance and was involved in a lot of the good stuff.’

The travelling Pompey faithful were in tremendous form throughout the match, creating an excellent atmosphere.

And Harness enjoyed his moment rejoicing with them.

He added: ‘It was a hard-fought game and we’ve kept the clean sheet. That always gives us a chance, so it’s just about finding one goal.

‘And it was a big chance that I didn’t want to miss – and a great moment to celebrate in front of our fans.

‘They were amazing. They filled that stand out and definitely helped us withstand the pressure at times.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

You can support our local team of expert Pompey writers by subscribing here for all the latest news from Fratton Park for 14p a day.