Goal hero praises fellow striker
He has not kicked a ball for Pompey since the end of October.
But Conor Chaplin believes that Matt Tubbs should take plenty of credit for the Blues’ impressive victory at Northampton.
It was the former who grabbed a late winner at Sixfields Stadium, slotting home from close range with his first touch after Ben Tollitt’s effort had been parried clear.
And Chaplin believes that working alongside Tubbs has helped improve his positional awareness.
The teenager said: “I’ve been working with Tubbsy for a long time now and he’s always told me to expect that the keeper will parry it and where I need to be.
“I probably owe him for that goal because without his advice I might not have been in the position to score.
“He’s so clever with his movement and the way he gets in behind people, so I’ve learnt a lot by training with him every day.
“It’s always a great feeling to score and it’s even better when it’s the winner and so late on.
“All the guys on the bench told me to go out and get a goal, so I’m happy I was able to do that.
“I’m pleased with seven at this stage of the season and it’s above the target I’d set myself at the start.
“Hopefully I can continue to add some more in the second half of the campaign and will be working hard to do that.”
The result brought Pompey nearer to the top three and Chaplin was happy with their overall performance.
He said: “It was a good game of football to watch, although the wind didn’t help matters at times.
“You could see the quality from both teams and I think all the players out there deserve credit for that.”