Boss reflects on Morecambe loss
It was another inspired goalkeeping display that kept the Blues at bay in Morecambe.
Barry Roche made a string of fine saves to deny them in the second half and was awarded man-of-the-match by the sponsors.
But Paul Cook was in no mood to offer praise to the opposition stopper after witnessing his side lose 2-0 at the Globe Arena.
The damage had been done before the break, with goals from Ryan Edwards and Tom Barkhuizen proving the difference.
And Cook knows that Pompey have to be more clinical, while also shoring up at the back.
The Blues boss said: “It wasn’t a good night for us. We had a really disappointing start and there are no excuses.
“We’ve gone away and failed to score again – we all know that this game is about what you do in both boxes.
“You can’t give sloppy goals away like we did because all of a sudden you’re left chasing.
“The players are aware that we all have a responsibility and we weren’t able to stand up to that.
“It wasn’t our night, but I do have confidence in our players and believe that it will go our way soon.
“We have a lot of quality and after three games I would say there are players who are still learning.
“You don’t get too high or too low after three matches, but we’re aware that we have to improve.
“We want to be successful and we’re favourites for a reason, so Saturday’s game becomes a big one now.”
Some travelling fans were heard calling for a change of formation, but Cook does not believe the system had anything to do with the result.
He said: “People are singing and shouting for 4-4-2, but when we went that way late on, we lost control of the game.
“We do have a calibre of player here that means we should be doing better – the lads know that.”