Portsmouth boss' 'unacceptable' verdict after insipid Cheltenham Town reverse

The Blues came up woefully short at Whaddon Road as they fell to a 1-0 reverse - their first-ever loss to the Robins.

Cowley’s side had a good place in the game after a first half in which they got into good positions, but were let down by poor quality in the final third.

It was a different story after the break as the home side got on top and Pompey lost their way.

The result means it’s five games without a win with just a single goal coming in that time.

Cowley said: ‘It was unacceptable, not good enough.

‘I thought first half we had a good place in the game and turned them over into double figures - but lacked the quality to find the all-important first goal.

‘But in the second half I thought we were short - short in every area. That’s really hard to take.’

Cowley was at a loss to explain the effort from his team after the break - but he could clearly see what his side’s shortcomings were.

He added: ‘We stopped doing the basics, stopped doing the prerequisites to do well.

‘When you come to a place like Cheltenham you have to win the duels, you have to outfight and outwork.

‘We stopped doing the basics and we lacked so much quality.

‘Our quality, particularly in the final third, was well short.’

Few Pompey players produced on a day fans will quickly want to forget, with a number of those on display putting in weak efforts.

When asked if Cowley felt let down by his players, he added: ‘It’s a collective performance. It’s always a collective. Ultimately we have to take responsibility.’