PORTSMOUTH FOOTBALL CLUB

Gary Waddock will lead Pompey at Fratton Park for the first time this weekend.

He has already overseen a narrow defeat at Stevenage since taking caretaker charge following the departure of Andy Awford on Monday.

And there is another stern examination of the Blues’ quality on Saturday, as fourth-placed Bury visit the south coast.

But Waddock is hoping Pompey can upset the formbook by claiming all three points against the Shakers.

He said: “The lads have got on with things and done well on the training ground – our only focus has been taking on Bury.

“We’ve got a good group of players and I’ve enjoyed working with them since day one of me coming here.

“Bury are a very decent side and in a position where they’re looking to gain automatic promotion – they’ve been in and around the top places all season.

“It will be a tough test for us – there’s no doubt about that. We certainly won’t be underestimating them.

“But if we can take the type of performance we showed on Tuesday night and better it – and it has to be better because we didn’t take any points – then we’ll cause them problems.

“We have to make sure that we put on a performance at home and show some consistency in these remaining fixtures.

“We want to finish on a high by getting some wins under our belt and give people something to smile about.”

Jed Wallace missed the Stevenage defeat with a hamstring injury, while Ryan Taylor limped off with a groin problem during the first half.

Waddock said: “Jed had a tight hamstring, but has trained and we’ll have to see if there’s any reaction to that.

“I don’t think Ryan will be available, although we’ll give him every chance of making the game.”