Cook happy with three-point haul at Newport
It was certainly not the most fluent performance that Pompey have produced this season.
But a scrappy 1-0 victory at League Two’s bottom club Newport ensured they maintained their impressive away record.
It also kept them in second spot and opened up a four-point gap over fourth-placed Mansfield.
Matt Tubbs grabbed the only goal in first half stoppage-time, collecting a fine Kyle Bennett pass and calmly slotting home.
And while Paul Cook felt that there was plenty of room for improvement, he was delighted with the result.
The Blues boss said: “Our goal was a little bit of quality in a game that was lacking it and the lads are a bit disappointed with how we’ve played.
“We were a bit too negative with our passing and need to be more positive, so that’s something to work on.
“We just looked a bit lacklustre, but our fantastic support will still have gone home happy.
“It’s a long, long season and you’re not going to play particularly well every week, but you’ll take a scruffy victory on the road.
“We’re finding a way to win games and we’ll just keep riding that wave for as long as we can.
“It was nice to keep a clean sheet and we’re pleased. This club’s had plenty of lows over the past few years and now we’re on a bit of a high.
“We’ll take those three points and give credit to the lads for getting them, but now we move on to the next one.”
Cook gave Adam Webster his first league start of the season and was rewarded with a commanding display from the academy graduate.
He said: “There were some changes and I thought Adam was excellent, while Danny Hollands and Rommy Boco both did well when they came on.
“Matt Clarke is going to be a fantastic player and he’s started every game, but we want to keep our lads fresh and the depth of our squad is there for all to see.
“I thought it was a good decision to make before the game and even if we’d lost, I still would have thought it was a good decision.”
Watch the reactions of Cook below or subscribe to Pompey PlayerHD for extended interviews with the manager and goalscorer Tubbs.