Boss criticises decision making against Cherries
It was the proverbial game of two halves for the Blues in their 3-2 friendly defeat to Bournemouth.
Some sloppy defending ensured they trailed by three goals at the interval.
But a much improved second 45 minutes saw pride restored against a side sitting two divisions higher than Pompey.
And Andy Awford insists that his squad will learn from their mistakes ahead of the start of the 2014/15 campaign.
The Blues boss said: “We played quite well in patches during the first half – it was just the decision making that let us down.
“The first goal was a straight long ball that we should have defended better, it was all too easy for the second and the third was comical.
“But the second half was better because we made better decisions throughout the whole team.
“Only Jed Wallace and Adam Webster remained on the pitch after the break, but I like to think I’d have got the same reaction without any changes.
“Pre-season friendlies are all about learning and there are things for us to work on.”
James Dunne netted Pompey’s first goal of the evening before Wallace struck from the penalty spot.
But it was the former’s effort that caught the eye – a stunning 25-yard volley that flew in off the post.
Awford said: “If he gets another one of those in his career, let alone the season then he’ll be delighted.
“It was a fantastic strike and I thought that his overall performance was very good.”
Two of the goals Pompey conceded were down to individual errors as Paul Jones let a shot squirm through his body before Danny Hollands lost possession on the edge of the box.
“Everybody makes mistakes – that’s football,” said Awford. “It’s how you react to those that’s important.
“Paul made some decent saves after the goal, while Danny was threatening at the other end of the pitch.
“I’d rather those mistakes happened in pre-season than a few weeks down the line.”