Outstanding Portsmouth defender pulls no punches as side handed harsh Burnley lesson

But the defender believes the Blues are proving they can punch their weight in the second tier after going toe to toe with the Clarets.

John Mousinho’s side let a first-half lead slip, as they went down to a 2-1 defeat at Turf Moor thanks to Josh Brownhill’s 94th-minute winner.

It was rough justice on Pompey, who were the better side before the break and dug in after the restart, as the home side got on top.

Burnley created little in the way of clearcut chances for their dominance of possession, but Callum Lang’s opener counted for nothing as sub Jeremy Sarmiento levelled before Brownhill delivered the late, late twist.

Poole, who was outstanding on his return after 10 months out with a serious knee injury, feels his side have shown they can succeed this term.

But the 26-year-old gave an honest assessment of the errors Pompey need to cut out if they are to remain in the Championship.

He said: ‘It’s two shots from outside the box and two goals - but that’s the harsh reality of this league.

‘I felt really comfortable in the game and I didn’t feel like they were going to score at any moment in the game.

‘They had more possession but I felt comfortable out of possession and we were a threat.

‘We didn’t deserve that but there’s positives, you can see we’re not far away.

‘The league is brutal though and if you give them a chance they will score, not even a clear chance really in this case.

‘It’s brutal but when we get that win the confidence will grow and we’ll be alright.’

The Burnley game was a landmark for Poole 10 months on from the pain of suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament at Chesterfield

The former Lincoln man looked like he’d never been away as he put in an outstanding performance on his return.

He added: ‘It’s great to to be back and I feel tired, but I’m back now - and I want it to stay that way.’