Exclusive:Bristol City 2 Portsmouth 1: Jordan Cross’ verdict - time for Portsmouth 2.0 in hunt to become serious Championship operators

An hour had passed before John Mousinho took his place in the Ashton Gate auditorium, yet it wasn’t enough time for the Pompey boss’ exasperation to abate.

Another trip to Bristol City and another defeat at the club who looked, for much of the summer, destined to be the 40-year-old’s new amply-resourced employers.

The time has arrived to make the transition to a side who operate with bravery on the ball and make the correct decisions to progress in this unforgiving terrain

Yet what could have been for the Blues head coach’s career trajectory was of no consequence here: This was about what should've been for Mousinho’s players.

‘The main frustration is I don’t think we’re a million miles off, I don’t think the gulf between the two teams was massive,’ said the Blues boss, as he dissected the afternoon’s deflating events with the kind of measured tones we’ve come to expect of him.

‘There were a couple of areas we lacked in which made us end up losing the game.’

Specifically the naivety which saw Pompey grow into proceedings and lose their foothold, as they looked to be gaining a modicum of control against Michael Skubala’s expected contenders.

And then the absence of the basic requirements to defend a corner which allowed 5ft 8in Jason Knight to head the game beyond the Blues, as their chronic set-piece issues resurfaced in costly fashion.

But this wasn’t the shallacking seen eight months ago, as a group ravaged by injury and without the components required to handle the Christmas period’s intensity were humbled in that grim 5-0 thrashing.

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This wasn’t the festive first-half savaging 12 months earlier, as a bleak capitulation put paid to Sammy Silvera’s Fratton career in the West Country.

Yet the winless span at the home of a side with upwardly mobile Championship aspirations now spans 35 years in the league, as Pompey failed to make more of the moments of promise presented to them.

A single effort on target from 14 shots on goal was the damning statistic, with the quality of those openings presented in the visitor’s expected goals (xG) being more than twice that of the home side if you value that metric.

Pompey’s 10 corners dwarfed Bristol City’s three yet the outcome was a series of promising invites not being accepted, as balls flashed across the face of Sam Tickle’s goal both from open play and dead-ball situations.

Mousinho acknowledged those issues, but there was a greater factor at play here for the head coach - one which cuts to the heart of Pompey’s Championship evolution.

The Blues head coach saw a team without the strength of their convictions to play through the pressure applied by Skubala’s side or apply their own, which exposed them for the opening goal and prevented them from mustering the required second-half threat until it was too late.

Yes, Mousinho may have employed an approach to arrive at this point which closed the gap with foes with superior resources over the past couple of seasons in the Championship, a course born out of pragmatism and necessity.

If his team is to make the strides sought at the level, however, the time has arrived to make the transition to a side who operate with bravery on the ball and make the correct decisions to progress in this unforgiving terrain: Championship Pompey 2.0.

The man at the helm has shown he will not shirk the decisions to make that happen, with there selection consequences for shortcomings.

New boy Rocco Shein lasted 45 minutes before being withdrawn, with the ‘tactical’ decision code for the defensive learning the high-profile new boy has to make to adapt to his new surroundings.

Eyes are on Benjy Arthur, too, as he was caught napping by Lorent Talaj for the opener, before being withdrawn for Madiodio Dia.

Amid attacking options where Chelsea teenage Ryan Kavuma-McQueen again shone brightest, it’s Colby Bishop’s continuing role in the No9 position most intensely under the spotlight at this formative stage.

The lack of presence in the box from deliveries didn’t go unnoticed among the 2,791 travelling Pompey faithful, with Marko Milovanović now deemed ready to start after winning and converting his side’s late consolation spot-kick.

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So expect changes for Derby County amid the season’s first three-game week, but the focus first is on the more sweeping squad revisions expected to be in place by the time Tuesday night arrives.

Three is the magic number for Pompey’s head coach, in addition to the 10 new faces sanctioned to date amid the ‘summer of change’ the man at the helm has referenced.

With around £9m spent, the last remaining chunk of the kitty for fees looks likely to go on the flexible attacker sought as the transfer poker continues with Burton Albion over £2m-rated Tyrese Shade.

A loan option looks set to be the path travelled for right-back cover, but it’s Adrian Segečić’s continuing presence which dominates.

The bid Pompey were braced for from Birmingham City hasn’t materialised at this juncture, as the big spenders eye attacking reinforcements with Ipswich Town’s Anis Mehmeti also coveted.

‘I think there definitely could be’, was Mousinho’s latest insight into a situation over his prized asset, with the vow his club will be ready to react in the event of an exit for last season’s top scorer.

Whatever the outcome there, the recruitment message to emerge more prepared for what lies ahead is being heard with perfect clarity.

The days of accepting intermittent capitulations as a consequence of being ill-equipped for the Championship’s demands needs to be consigned to history.

It’s time for Mousinho's Pompey to bridge the gap from pretenders to bonafide Championship operators.