Skipper enjoying working with new manager
Richie Barker’s arrival as manager has wiped the slate clean.
That’s the view of Pompey skipper Johnny Ertl ahead of Saturday’s clash with Newport at Fratton Park.
The Blues have not tasted victory since the start of November and lost five in succession before drawing the last two matches.
But Ertl is feeling confident after a positive first week on the training pitch with Barker.
He said: “The season almost starts again for us now with a new management team in place – so roll on Saturday.
“We have to look forward. There’s a blank sheet of paper and we have to show what we can do.
“Everyone has been trying to impress the new manager in training, but that can’t stop after just one or two weeks – we have to keep up that tempo until the end of the season.
“It’s down to the players now to take on board everything he has told us as quickly as we can.
“It’s been a great week and we’ve worked on a lot of different things. It’s been quite intense, but we’ve enjoyed it.”
Pompey face a Newport side who sit eighth in the table, but have won just once on their league travels this season.
Ertl said: “We lost the cup game against them last month, so now we need to turn the tables.
“But we changed a lot of things in that last game, so I wouldn’t look back too much on that.
“We will show Newport a lot of respect because they’re a good side, but they’re coming to Fratton and we want to make it a fortress again.
“Everyone’s looking forward to the match and feeling positive, so hopefully we can collect all three points.”