‘There’s my response’: Portsmouth match-winner ready for goal floodgates to open after Brentford and former Chelsea man emerges from dip

Myles Peart-Harris believes he produced the right response to an off-colour showing with the key intervention in Cambridge United victory

And the Brentford loanee is confident his maiden Pompey goal will now provide the platform for more of the same over a critical period for his new side.

Peart-Harris bounced back from a below-par performance at Carlisle on Saturday, to grab the winner in the 3-1 success at Fratton Park.

The 21-year-old acknowledged things didn’t necessarily go all his way against the U’s, as John Mousinho’s side laboured in the first half.

But the former Chelsea man and his side found the answers to build on Kusini Yengi’s penalty, by Peart-Harris tapping in the crucial second and Abu Kamara putting an impressive flourish on the win with a curling third.

Peart-Harris said: ‘It was a team performance, not our best, but we showed our quality at times and patience to get the result.

‘It was really important to get that first goal. The deadlock is broken and now I can’t wait to kick on and keep scoring.

‘It didn’t work out (at Carlisle) but I think it’s normal for every play to have an off game. A response was needed - and there’s my response.

‘The manager has put his trust in me to go out there again and perform. Individually it wasn’t the best performance, but the goal is important and the three points most important.’

With the top three sides winning, Pompey remain six points clear at the top of League One.

The gap is extended on Barnsley to 12 points in fourth after their draw at Shrewsbury, while Peterborough’s postponed home clash with Port Vale means they are now 13 points behind Mousinho’s side.

Peart-Harris added: ‘I’m always looking at the league table. Even when there’s not a game I’m looking at it.

‘Teams have got games in hand and we’re hoping of course results don’t go their way. They went their way this time, but so did our result and we’re winning games.

‘There’s 13 games now - 13 cup finals for us to concentrate on winning to get to where we want to be.’