New boy Michael Jacobs' verdict on Portsmouth lack of goals this season

The Blues drew their third blank on the bounce, as they were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw at Rochdale on Sunday.

But the man who made his debut as a second-half substitute is confident his new club can unlock their attacking potential.

Jacobs feels the focus has to be on developing an understanding in forward areas between the attacking quartet, in Kenny Jackett’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation.

But the 28-year-old is confident Pompey will come good going forward.

He said: ‘It’ll come, it’s just a matter of building those relationships.

‘The second half we created some chances and got into some good areas.

‘It’s just about sticking that ball into the back of the net

‘It’s only the second game of the season, it’s one of those things where when you stick one in, you stick three or four in.

‘It’s one of those situations where you have to keep going and keep grinding.

‘We might look back at the end of the season and say it was a good point.

‘It’s disappointing, but we’re pushing in the right direction.’

Jacobs felt it was important not to disrespect Rochdale, with Pompey facing their second game in less than 72 hours on Sunday.

But he noted how it was the Blues who took over as the game wore on - and that was a promising sign.

That backed up what the former Wigan man had noted in his early training sessions about Pompey’s fitness.

He added: ‘It was a tough game and Thursday was a tough game.

‘You recover and it’s a long trip up here.

‘You know they are going to start fast, they are a good team with a good manager and set of lads.

‘It was important we built as the game went on because we knew they’d tire later on.

‘It was important we kept going because we’re a fit bunch of lads, and you could tell that when we stepped up a gear in the second half. We created a lot of chances.’

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