Tom Naylor on fan pressure Kenny Jackett has come under - and how Portsmouth must stick with him

Pompey moved up to ninth in the League One table after delivering a hard-fought 2-1 victory over MK Dons on Saturday.

Naylor and Ellis Harrison were on the scoresheet for the Blues, who are now a point outside the play-offs.

However, the win didn't convince too many of Jackett’s detractors.

Following the slow start to the season – against the backdrop of last campaign's play-off semi-final defeat – fans bemoaned an under-par display against bottom-of-the-table Dons.

Naylor can understand supporter frustrations because of the love they have for the club.

But the skipper called for unity and that Pompey must stay together ‘through thick and thin’.

Naylor said: ‘It's different for fans because fans do love the clubs and love everything about the club.

‘I think that we have got to stick with him and stick by him.

‘It's one of those were players do play for each other. It's not about one individual – everyone is at it.

‘Even if it is for the gaffer, even if it is for Joe Gallen, if it is for everyone, we're all at it. We stick with each other through thick and thin.

‘The players will always do that until the last day of the season and now we need to keep improving.

‘I think it is one of those where we've had a slow start. That's happened to a few teams who are expected to be up there this season.

‘We did it last season came through it around Christmas time. We were on fire.

‘If the team works hard together for 90 minutes then we can do a lot of damage this season.’

Pompey's failure to win any of their opening three league games saw them languishing in the relegation zone.

It was another slow start to the campaign after suffering similar struggles last term – which ultimately meant the Blues were playing catch-up on their promotion rivals.

But after beating MK Dons to make it three successive victories, Naylor is confident Pompey can achieve their ambitions and be promoted.

He added: ‘We're fully focused and I fully believe in this squad. I'm sure that we can go places.

‘We brought more players in last season and lost some big players.

‘We didn't have the best start last season or this season but we've won three on the spin now and hopefully can get three on the spin in the league next Saturday.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

Thank you for reading this story. The News has launched a new subscription offer which gives you unlimited access to all of our Pompey coverage.

You can subscribe here to get the latest news and transfer updates from Fratton Park - and to support our local team of expert Pompey writers.

Every subscription helps us continue providing trusted, local journalism on your behalf for our city.