Boss pleased with friendly opener against Hawks
It was a confident start for Pompey’s new-look squad.
Seven players made their Blues bow in a comfortable 4-0 friendly victory against non-league Havant & Waterlooville.
All the goals came in the second half, with debutant Craig Westcarr bagging a brace and Ryan Bird and Ricky Holmes also on target.
Results may not be vital at this stage of the season, but Andy Awford was satisfied with the performance of his troops at Westleigh Park.
The Blues boss said: “It was a good work-out for the players and we got what we wanted from the game.
“They got some miles in their legs and it was good to see a few of them in a Pompey shirt for the first time.
“Everybody did their bit, worked hard and their attitude was great, so I’m pleased overall.
“We all know that in football putting the ball in the net is the hardest thing to do, so it was nice to get four.
“However, I said beforehand that the result was secondary and it was more about getting our fitness levels up.
“Not everyone we tried came off, but we’re still a few weeks away from the start of the season.
“Now we’ll have another good week of training and prepare for a tough test at Bognor next Saturday.”
Awford also revealed the reason for Wes Fogden’s absence from the squad that faced the Hawks.
He said: “Wes fell awkwardly in training, so we sent him for a scan and that shows he’s got ligament damage in his knee.
“It’s unfortunate, but we’ll wrap him up in cotton wool for now and try to get him back out there as soon as possible.
“He was an important player for us at the end of last season, but that’s why you have a squad and we have other players in that position who can do a job.”
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