Portsmouth skipper Lee Brown's sobering message about players' character after encouraging Accrington point

Although Lee Brown insists the Blues require plenty more such performances before they can prove a point.

Marcus Harness’ 86th-minute leveller earned a point at Accrington in a hard-fought encounter on Saturday.

Danny Cowley’s men had battled back having slipped 2-1 behind 13 minutes from time entirely against the run of play.

Despite that set-back, they demonstrated the heart and guts glaringly absent in recent performances, particularly in successive hammerings at the hands of Rotherham and Ipswich.

Undoubtedly it was a heartening display, regardless of failing to earn the victory they deserved.

For Brown it represented a small step rather than getting carried away.

He told The News: ‘I don’t think you can prove a point in one game, it has got to be over the course of the next 10-15 games.

‘I think it is encouraging. We’ve got fight in there, it’s there, but it’s about doing it on a consistent basis. Sometimes you can talk until the cows come home, but it’s about when you cross that white line.

‘We can all say the right things in the press, say all the right things in the changing room all week, but it is all puff air, all hot air really, unless you are doing it on the pitch, that’s the only thing anyone cares about.

‘You think you can always get a reaction after a couple of bad results, but sometimes you can’t put your finger on it.

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‘I did think the boys showed fight and credit to them, but we have to show that on a consistent basis.

‘If you bring that every week then you have a chance.’

Ronan Curtis handed Pompey an 18th-minute lead through his third goal of the season.

However, they found themselves 2-1 behind after 77 minutes, despite missing a string of chances, with John Marquis, Harness and Reeco Hackett mostly culpable.

While Curtis saw his second-half goal-bound shot deflected onto the post by Matt Butcher through a last-ditch goal-line clearance.

Brown added: ‘When you are on a bad run of form you always think it won’t be your day.

‘Every supporter must have thought that (on Saturday), but it shows good character that no-one gave up, it shows good character that we don’t just roll over and accept the 2-1.

‘We have actually gone on and, at the end, thought we could have nicked it 3-2. Credit there, but is it really good enough?’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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