'If it had been on our terms' - Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley makes Bolton Wanderers fixture admission as he faces blank weekend and two weeks between key Plymouth and Ipswich games

The Pompey boss said he would have been quite happy for the League One match at Fratton Park to be played as originally scheduled, despite seeing three first-team regulars earn call-ups for their respective countries.

The decision was taken out of his hands, however, by the Trotters, who currently have four senior players away on international duty.

All teams have the right to reschedule games for a later date if three or more members of their ranks are selected by their national outfits – a rule the Blues have been making the most off themselves in recent years.

Joe Morrell (Wales), Josh Griffiths (England U21) and Dane Scarlett (England U20) are the three senior Pompey players presently away with their countries, while youngsters Harry Jewitt-White (Wales U19) and Alfie Bridgman (Malta U19) are also on duty elsewhere.

The first-team trio have 15 league starts between them so far this season, with Morrell still playing catch-up on his fitness following an injury in pre-season.

For Bolton, though, that figure is significantly higher, with Dion Charles, Conor Bradley, Amadou Bakayoko and James Trafford accumulating 27 starting berths. On-loan Liverpool youngster Owen Beck is yet to feature for the Trotters in the third tier.

And, no doubt, the game being played at Fratton Park would have made it an even easier decision for Ian Evatt’s side – who currently sit fifth in the table – to cancel tomorrow’s fixture.

However, for Cowley, he would have preferred for the game to go ahead, with two weeks between their last outing – last Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Plymouth – and next weekend’s trip to fellow early pacesetters Ipswich.

Speaking to The News on Thursday, the Blues boss said: ‘It’s unfortunate for us really (the international break) because we’d like to be playing Bolton this weekend and certainly if it had been on our terms we would have played the game.

‘Even though we’d have some key players missing, it was still our ambition to play.

‘We totally respect Bolton making the decision, though, and it’s their prerogative to do so.

‘But when you do get a break, it’s about making the most of it.

‘For us, it’s given us good time to reflect on the start and look at the processes and how the teams is functioning both in possession and against the ball.

‘It’s also about trying to make some self improvements and then the next week the focus will be very much on Ipswich.’

Cowley added: ‘For us, the ambition is always to work.

‘You always want to play, it’s never nice waking up on a Saturday morning without a game.’