Portsmouth goal hero Lee Brown reveals factors behind lacklustre display in Fleetwood success

But the left-back felt a nine-hour coach journey to Lancashire and losing Shaun Williams in the warm-up were mitigating factors in a lacklustre display in the 1-0 opening day success.

Brown was the goal hero as the Blues snaffled the points, but there was no effort to cover up a display which came up short.

He said: ‘We know the performance wasn’t there today.

‘There were factors to that. We had a nine-hour coach journey yesterday and didn’t eat until 9pm.

‘I thought we looked leggy and we lost Shaun Williams in the warm-up who’s a massive player for us.

‘It probably unsettled us and we looked a bit all over the place.

‘But we hung in there and knew what a result it would be to win if we hung in there - and that’s what we did.’