Boss reflects on Barnet stalemate
If it had been a Premier League encounter, then Barnet v Pompey would come last in the Match of the Day running order.
A turgid encounter at The Hive only came alive in the final 10 minutes, with both sides scoring goals that belonged to a different contest.
Mauro Vilhete curled a free-kick over the wall and it looked like Kevin Nugent would begin his reign as Bees boss with a victory.
Substitute Conor Chaplin sent a rocket into the top corner, however, to give the 2,430 travelling fans a just reward.
But Paul Cook – who made two changes and switched the system at half-time – admitted that it was not a match that will live long in the memory.
The Blues boss said: “We thought we were coming to play on a good pitch and selected a side to suit that.
“But it was clear early on that it was the wrong team, the shape was wrong – everything about us was wrong.
“We tried to change it and did anything really happen in the second half? I didn’t think there were many chances.
“The referee was giving lots of cheap free-kicks and unfortunately one of them ended up going into our net.
“It looked like we were getting beaten and everyone would go home disappointed, but then Conor goes and gets an amazing goal.
“His finishing is fantastic and sometimes it’s just about how you fit that into the shape of your team.
“A draw is probably a fair result for me from what was a poor match. There was no pattern to the game at all.
“We had great support, but I’m not sure anyone enjoyed watching that. It’s a point, though, and we showed that our team has got character.
“Scoring in the 90th minute means there should be credit for our fitness lads Proc (Andy Procter) and Nick (Meace), as well as the players themselves.”
Watch Cook’s thoughts on the game below or subscribe to Pompey PlayerHD for full post-match video content.