Defender delighted to return to action
A red card and fatherhood had prevented Ben Chorley from playing a part in Pompey’s recent revival.
The defender served a four-match ban after being sent off in last month’s home defeat to York.
And then a new addition to the Chorley family saw his return to the side delayed.
But he was back in action – and handed the captain’s armband – at Bury in the Blues’ penultimate game of the season.
It looked like ending in disappointment until two late goals saw Pompey salvage a point in a 4-4 draw.
And Chorley was simply relieved to be in the side again after missing the previous six matches.
He said: “It was a hell of a game to come back in for after five weeks out of the side.
“I wasn’t training much in the weeks leading up to the red card anyway because I had a bit of an Achilles problem.
“But I feel better now and of course it was tough watching because I just wanted to be out there playing football.
“It’s been a stop-start season for me with injuries and the suspension – nobody was more frustrated than me.
“I was watching from the sidelines and the boys have done brilliantly. We’ve been getting the first goal and that means the other team have to open up.
“Unfortunately that didn’t happen against Bury. In the first half they were a lot better than us and we couldn’t get control of them on the floor or in the air.
“The manager gave us a good talking to at half-time. It wasn’t a rollicking, but he told us what we already knew – that we weren’t good enough.
“In the second half it was more like how we’ve been playing in the previous few weeks.
“It might not have been a great start, but the way we finished shows how far we’ve come in a short space of time.”