‘It hurts - it seems I’m not good enough for some people’: Portsmouth striker hits back at critics

Colby Bishop has hit back at his Pompey critics as he returned to the goal trail.

And the Magic Man has called for support in the Blues’ most testing moments, as they ended a run of three games without league victory against Stevenage.

Bishop launched a concerted response to his detractors, after bagging his 13th goal of the season in the 2-1 success.

The 27-year-old cupped his ears to the crowd after producing a class backheeled finish after firing two blanks over Christmas. Bishop admitted being ‘slandered’ had made an impact on him after being subjected to online flak.

He said: ‘People seem to forget strikers sometimes go through patches where they don’t score. I always back myself to get back on the wagon.

‘I didn’t celebrate did I? Everyone can read what they want into it.

‘I don’t think anyone likes being criticised. Sometimes my performances might not be good but I always give 100 per cent.

‘Since the day I put on a Pompey shirt I’ve given 100 per cent and I always will while I’m here. All I can do is do my talking on the pitch - and I think I did that. It hurts, but I try to not let it affect me.

‘I care about my peers’ opinions, my manager’s opinion and those close to me. That’s all that matters

‘I’ve scored 13 goals by January 1, a lot of people would say that’s a good start - but it seems I’m not good enough for some people.

‘I try to ignore it, but when other people bring it to your attention you think it must be bad.

‘You’d think we weren’t top of the league. Sometimes when it goes wrong you need to get behind people. That’s what support is.

‘It’s easy to support when things are going well. Listen, people will have bad games and I will have bad games. It’s nice when you get picked up by people and not slandered.

‘Everyone has their opinion. That’s fine, but when things go wrong it would be nice if we had a little bit of help. You could help people out rather than slander them. Maybe I’m being too optimistic.’

Bishop acknowledged that the stick he’s received comes from a minority of people online and isn’t representative of Pompey’s overall support. The top scorer also stated he felt the Blues following has been much more patient with John Mousinho’s players this term compared to last season.

He added: ‘The fans have been so much better on that front (supporting the players and showing patience). They’ve been amazing from day one and I think they’ve really taken that on board.

‘Last season when we were losing it might not have been the same, but every time we’ve gone behind or teams equalise like today you hear the noise erupt.

‘They’ve been brilliant and that’s what we need to keep pushing. It makes a massive difference and I can’t tell you how much difference that makes on pitch.

‘When things don’t go well and they get behind you it makes a massive difference and the other team feel it as well.

‘It happens (bad performances) we’re not perfect and we’re working towards something.

‘Maybe 95 per cent of people do get behind us. This is not me painting a picture for the whole fanbase. I’d say 95 per cent are amazing and I’m very grateful for those people.

‘I feel we give our all and sometimes we will fall short. That’s okay because we’re not perfect - but we will give our all.’