How Reeco Hackett was happy to answer Portsmouth SOS and come to the rescue against Gillingham

The 23-year-old said he put his body on the line for the Blues’ recent trip to Gillingham – starting the Priestfield fixture despite being not fully recovered from a hamstring injury.

After the game, which Pompey won 1-0, manager Danny Cowley confessed Hackett was only 70-per-cent fit and had little choice but to turn to the former Bromley player after Lee Brown was added to a growing injury list before kick-off.

But Hackett said he was happy to put the team first despite niggling doubts that he could worsen the problem.

He told The News: ‘I’d just been struggling with my hamstring for a couple of weeks.

‘Obviously, we’ve been light on numbers, and I felt like I could play and still give 100 per cent and do my best – and that’s what I did.

‘Obviously, it’s tough when you’ve got something in the back of your mind and you’re looking after yourself, but sometimes you need to put the team first and get through certain months.

‘I don’t really want to miss games especially when you’re playing in a team that’s doing well.

‘You want to play as much as you can and I felt like I could so I put myself out there.’

Hackett has made 23 appearances in all competitions this term and has found himself in the starting XI for the Blues’ past four games.

And he’s likely to start once more when Pompey play host to Morecambe on Saturday, with his Gillingham run-out clearly not affecting his previous hamstring complaint.

He added: ‘(The pain) wasn’t too bad and it wasn’t unbearable, so I managed to get through the game.

‘I think I played 80 minutes and I felt good.

‘I put my hand up and the gaffer stuck with me and picked me for the game and I gave everything.

‘I’m perfectly fine now, it’s all good.

‘Injuries are a common thing and it’s nothing new. Certain ones you can’t play through and there’s others that you can. That’s just how it is.

‘During the first half, the adrenaline gets you through it and it kind of goes to the back of your mind.

‘But when you come in before the second half and you settle down in the changing room it’s tough to get going again as you sit down and stiffen up.

‘I was alright, though, and I got through it fine. I

‘t’s all cleared up now, it was just one game and luckily I got through it okay and it didn’t make it worse.’

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