Boss delighted with team display at Yeovil
“We need every single one of our guys to stand up to that – and that’s exactly what they did. I can’t praise them enough.
And Andy Awford was delighted with the performance of his troops against League One opposition.
Jed Wallace’s brace and a cute chip from Craig Westcarr saw Pompey book their place in the second round of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.
Yeovil were the victims of a rampant second half Blues display at Huish Park that resulted in a 3-1 victory of the visitors.
It was the second time this season that Pompey have dumped a higher league side out of a cup competition.
“All three goals were great finishes. We’ve seen Jed come inside onto his left foot before and that’s what he did for the opener.
“The second was across the keeper with his right foot and was clinical, so it was great to see him show his quality.
“But we had to work hard for the victory and it wasn’t just the finishing that impressed me.
“The defending was great and the midfielders covered a lot of ground. They did their jobs fantastically.
Awford said: “I thought Johnny was magnificent. It wasn’t just about those vital blocks he got in, but his overall defending. He and Paul Robinson were absolute giants.
One player who stood out was club captain Johnny Ertl, who excelled at centre-back in just his second appearance on the season.
“It was a great opportunity to field some of our younger players and I thought Nick Awford and Ben Close were fantastic in the centre of the park, while Dan Butler didn’t put a foot wrong.”
“He played centre-half quite a bit in pre-season and it’s a position I like him in.
“I think he was tried there when he first came to the club and won’t mind me saying that he didn’t have the best of debuts. “But I actually think he can do that job for us, whether we play with a four or a three.”