Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley lifts lid on ex-Luton and Norwich midfield duo's omission from starting line-up against Morecambe

Just ahead of the 1-1 draw with the Shrimps, Wales international Morrell was omitted from the match-day squad despite travelling, while Thompson was named among the substitutes.

In their place came Shaun Williams and Ryan Tunnicliffe.

Yet it wasn’t a decision based on a desire to freshen up his engine room during a hectic fixture schedule.

Instead, injuries picked up by the pair against Lincoln played a key role in their omission.

Morrell suffered a dead leg in the 3-2 win against the Imps, while Thompson picked up a calf complaint in the same game.

Although, Cowley revealed he did all he could to ensure their fitness at the Mazuma Stadium.

Cowley told The News: ‘We didn’t want to make changes, it was more of the fact that Joe travelled but he did a fitness test in the morning.

‘Full credit to him because he probably had only a one-per-cent chance of playing, but he still wanted to travel.

‘Where he’s got this severe dead leg, he’s got some muscle inhibition which means the muscle hasn’t got any power in it. He just wasn’t able to run so it was a pretty brief fitness test for him.

‘Louis felt some tightness in his calf and it was a bit of a risk when bringing him on to be honest, but the game needed him.

‘I thought he came on and did a good job for us.’

The midfield duo have emerged as Cowley’s favoured partnership in recent weeks, with Morrell and Thompson starting three out of the past five matches.

Following their desire to be involved at Morecambe, Cowley added ‘It shows they’re professional and want to do their best for their team-mates and their team. To be honest, that’s what I expect.’