Boss delighted with Wycombe victory
Pompey have looked far more solid in recent weeks, but something has still been missing.
So Richie Barker was delighted that his side were finally the recipients of some good luck at Wycombe.
There were two big calls for referee Craig Breakspear to make at Adams Park – and both went the Blues’ way.
He pointed to the spot after Wes Fogden went down in the box, allowing Ryan Taylor to stroke home a penalty.
And the official then ruled out a stoppage-time equaliser after spotting a foul on Trevor Carson.
That left Barker able to celebrate his second win since taking charge of Pompey last month.
The Blues boss said: “There’s still a long way to, but it’s obviously a nice feeling to get three points and the clean sheet.
“We got a little bit of luck, but that’s something we haven’t previously had since I’ve been here.
“Was it a penalty? I don’t know, but sometimes you buy your own luck.
“We defended really well and threw ourselves into the path of shots – and it looked like a foul at the end.
“We played better than that against Mansfield and Morecambe, but that happens in football – especially in this division.”
Barker was full of praise for Carson, who impressed between the sticks after making a costly error against Morecambe at the weekend.
Andy Barcham also caught his manager’s eye, with the winger making his first start in more than a month.
Barker said: “Trevor pulled off some good saves – one very good one – and was safe for us. He’s plays an important role in what we’re trying to do.
“I thought Andy was excellent and was certainly our main threat in the first half. He also linked up well in the second, although he was blowing a bit towards the end.
“I was a bit worried about putting him in because he’s been out injured for so long, but he did a fantastic job.”
Barker awarded a debut to recent signing Ben Chorley and even handed him the captain’s armband.
He said: “He competed really well and is obviously a leader – we could hear his voice throughout. He looked a bit rusty at time, but he did the right things.
“Ben’s the sort of person I want as a captain and knew it was something he would relish, so I made the decision and think it was the right one.”