What the Shrewsbury boss said about his side's defeat at Portsmouth

The New Meadow boss felt the first goal of Saturday’s League One clash was always going to define the outcome.

Conditions caused by Storm Dennis meant it was an attritional affair. on the south coast.

Yet the Blues defended stoically and made the most of their opportunities.

Harrison edged Kenny Jackett's men in front with a 64th-minute header before John Marquis rounded off the three points with eight minutes remaining.

It ensured Pompey remain in the play-off places, while Shrewsbury's woes continue and they haven’t won in their past 10 league games.

Ricketts didn’t think there was a lot between the two sides – but conceded Harrison's intervention was crucial.

He told the Shrews’ website: ‘We had really good opportunities to get that first goal but we couldn’t get it and Portsmouth did. The difference between the two sides was only a small amount. My frustration would be that we didn’t hit the target enough.

‘We gave Portsmouth a good game today and were far more like ourselves previous to Christmas. Generally, we defended well and Max O’Leary only had a few saves to make.

‘It was always going to come down to the first goal and unfortunately they took it. We kept going and took more risks. We got into good areas and had good opportunities but that gave Portsmouth more space to exploit.

‘They used their experience to see the game out and made the game easy for themselves with the second goal. This week now is a big week for us with recuperation and training time. The players never stop trying, their effort and endeavour is excellent.

‘No one is happy with the way results are going. No one is happy losing games and not getting the results we want like in the first half of the season. We pushed Portsmouth and we will keep going. We had 11 shots here as an away side, we just have to start putting them into the back of the net.’