His best game in a Portsmouth shirt: Danny Cowley on how ex-Gillingham and Spurs man shone brightest in Bolton triumph

It was his finest performance in a Pompey shirt, according to his boss.
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And Danny Cowley is convinced there is plenty more to come from Connor Ogilvie following his Bolton breakthrough.

The defender turned in an outstanding performance as the Blues claimed their second clean sheet since mid-August.

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Cowley has turned to the former Gillingham man following his return from injury, pairing him in a centre-half double act with Sean Raggett in the last two fixtures.

Saturday’s visit of Bolton marked Ogilvie’s ninth outing since arriving at Fratton Park on a free transfer at the start of August.

And Pompey’s head coach believes the 1-0 triumph served as the 25-year-old’s most impressive performance to date.

Cowley told The News: ‘I thought Connor was excellent, he played really really well.

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‘He was on the front foot, aggressive, aerially was terrific positionally, helped to organise the defensive line and he and Raggs were robust.

Danny Cowley felt Connor Ogilvie turned in his finest performance in a Pompey shirt against Bolton on Saturday. Picture: Joe PeplerDanny Cowley felt Connor Ogilvie turned in his finest performance in a Pompey shirt against Bolton on Saturday. Picture: Joe Pepler
Danny Cowley felt Connor Ogilvie turned in his finest performance in a Pompey shirt against Bolton on Saturday. Picture: Joe Pepler

‘It was a competitive performance and a massive positive. For me, his best display since coming here.

‘Connor’s a really good player, he comes from Tottenham and they have a really good education there, although has played in a different style in recent times.

‘In drills, such as head tennis, technically he is one of the best players. Don’t underestimate how good he is on the ball.

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‘He became used to playing a certain way for so long that we’ve just got to work with him. Having a sustained run of time on the grass training will help us influence his habits.’

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Ogilvie made 171 appearances and scored 10 times during a Gillingham stay which initially began on loan from Tottenham.

However, in the summer he turned down a new deal in favour of seeking a fresh challenge as a free agent.

That brought him to Fratton Park, although his impact has been hampered by a six-game injury absence.

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He returned in the 4-1 defeat at Rotherham, albeit at the time having been involved in just two full training sessions.

Now Cowley believes Ogilvie is up to speed and demonstrating his capabilities.

Pompey’s head coach added: ‘Rotherham was tough for Connor, he just needed a run of games.

‘You’ve got to remember that he didn’t have a pre-season. He didn’t play a pre-season game until August, and that is probably why he got injured, let’s be honest.

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‘That was a tough part of our recruitment, we were chasing so many signings.’

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