Boss says there’s more to come after Gills draw
The dress rehearsals have finished and next week Pompey will take to the stage in front of a packed Fratton audience.
A goalless draw at League One side Gillingham provided the final test ahead of Dagenham & Redbridge’s visit.
It was not exactly a thriller, although triallist Ben Davies did send a free-kick thundering against the crossbar.
And Paul Cook believes there is plenty of room for improvement from his troops.
The Blues boss said: “It wasn’t a great game – it developed into a very bitty pre-season friendly in the second half.
“But we restricted Gillingham to very few chances and managed to get more minutes into our players.
“We’re very much a work in progress – I think that’s evident for everyone to see.
“But we had another magnificent travelling support and it’s important that we keep working hard to get better for them.
“We’re putting the hours in every day on training ground so we can make sure we give our fans something to cheer about on a Saturday.
“There’s an expectancy from them that we do well – and that’s shared by me and by the players.
“But there’s no magic formula and it will take a bit of time, although we’ll always do our best for this football club.”
Adam Barton, Adam McGurk and Kal Naismith missed the match with injuries.
Enda Stevens was also absent due to a family bereavement, with teenager Brandon Haunstrup filling in at left-back.
Cook said: “I thought Brandon was excellent and it’s always great to see young players doing well for the club.”