Defender looking forward to Crewe test
Christian Burgess did not have his most influential game in a Pompey shirt last weekend.
The defender was a virtual spectator against Carlisle, with the majority of the action taking place at the other end of the pitch.
It is likely to be a different story when the Blues travel north to face Crewe on Saturday (3pm kick-off).
But whether Pompey dominate in attack or not, Burgess knows that he has to remain focused at the back.
The 24-year-old said: “We watched the Carlisle game back and saw that we created some great chances – their keeper played a blinder.
“They didn’t play with a striker after going down to men, which I suppose is understandable.
“It was very strange and they weren’t even challenging from their goal-kicks, so we were able to bring the ball down and feed the other guys.
“It was a weird one to be involved with, but we obviously had to keep our concentration in case they hit us on the break.
“Now we’ve got Crewe and it will be a good test for us. They’ve just come down from League One and will be looking to impress.
“But we’ve been preparing well and are looking forward to the challenge – hopefully we can get that first win under our belt.”
Burgess is hoping that his fledgling central-defensive partnership with Jack Whatmough can continue to grow in the coming weeks.
He said: “Jack’s done really well after a good pre-season, although it takes time to build those relationships.
“I’m looking forward to that developing as we play more games together and we’ll be working hard on the training pitch to strengthen that bond.”