'He's been getting a bit of stick from a few people': Portsmouth boss on striker's pointed reaction to Fratton fans amid Bolton goal celebrations

And he insists the striker would still have been one of his star performances against Bolton even if he hadn’t found the back of the net.

Pompey’s leading scorer had gone four games without a goal, missing glorious chances against Lincoln and Cheltenham, in the build-up to Tuesday’s clash.

Bishop responded by cleverly steering home Ryan Tunnicliffe’s right-wing corner to seal the 3-1 triumph in front of a jubilant Fratton End.

And he marked his 17th goal of the season by cupping his ear and putting his finger to his lips during celebrations.

Mousinho told The News: ‘It was a great finish from Colby to top off what had been a really good evening. You could probably see the relief on his face and his body language with all the celebrations around him.

‘If you take that goal away from him, it was still a very good 8//9 out of 10 on the night because he gave Ricardo Santos a really, really tough time – and he’s one of the best centre-halves in the league.

‘I saw his celebration, he has been getting a bit of stick from a few people about a few bits and bobs, so fair play to him.

‘I think everybody enjoys it, there’s a bit of going back and forth there and that’s great.

‘Ultimately, the fans absolutely love him to bits and he puts a lot of pressure on himself to score goals, so it was probably just a show of relief more than anything else and to say “Yes, don’t worry, I’m back and I can score and find the back of the net”.

‘I get it, I understand what football fans are like, but, from my point of view, I look at everything else he does for the side.

‘I probably sound like a broken record because I have gone on so much about how valuable Colby is to the team and what he does.

‘All I would say is thank goodness I’m not playing against him any more, because I played against him in the past before and don’t enjoy it!’

Bishop is firmly on course to become only the second Pompey player since Svetoslav Todorov in 2002-03 to break the 20-goal barrier in a season.

His closest rival among the current squad is seven-goal Ronan Curtis, albeit with just two of those coming in League One.

Mousinho added: ‘Colby could go through a whole season not scoring a single goal for us, but would still contribute a huge, huge amount – and that’s the sign of a really good centre-forward.

‘Show me a centre-forward that doesn't miss chances, it doesn't happen. Even the best in the world miss guilt-edged chances.

‘What he gives you is that all-round attacking talent, he’s a very mobile target man who can score goals as well as link play - and it’s really pleasing to see how he’s done over the past few weeks.’