How Portsmouth boss' half-time plans against Crewe might have been different if not for rule change

Sespite his side being two goals to the good, the Blues boss made two changes at the interval against Alexandra on Saturday.

Lee Brown replaced Cam Pring at left-back while Callum Johnson came on for Haji Mnoga on the right-hand side of defence.

Jackett revealed that he wanted to shore up his rearguard for the second period as he could see Crewe were having joy attacking down both flanks.

The decision bore fruit as the hosts ran out 4-1 winners to move up to fourth in the League One table.

Earlier in the week, the EFL increased the number of substitutes teams can make in matches from three to five for the remainder of the season amid a congested fixture list.

Had that not happened then Jackett doesn’t think he’d have made the switches that he did against Crewe.

Pompey’s manager said: 'With five subs now, it does open it up for a manager.

'I don’t think I would have made the changes if I didn’t have five subs.

'Decision-making is a big thing and it’s making the right decision at the right time.

'I felt it was a tactical game when he needed to know when to step in and the runner was behind him.

'Haji did fine and it was a good experience for him, because they did pull him around a bit as they did Cameron.

'We wanted to get in a winning position, though, and getting that decision right was a big thing.'