Richardson delighted with response against Rovers
It was the perfect response to a disappointing run of league results for Pompey.
Paul Cook’s side comfortably dealt with promotion rivals Bristol Rovers, easing to a 3-1 victory at Fratton Park.
Gareth Evans and Michael Smith both found the target in the first half, while Marc McNulty came off the bench to add a third after the break.
The hosts probably should have scored even more, as they created an abundance of chances throughout the contest.
Rovers did grab a late consolation, courtesy of Lee Brown’s ferocious free-kick in stoppage-time.
But Leam Richardson was delighted with how the Blues responded to last week’s defeat to Leyton Orient.
Pompey’s assistant manager said: “The result’s obviously what we’ve been looking for, but the performance was also very pleasing.
“If you want to be successful then you have to bounce back from negative results and that’s what we did against Bristol Rovers.
“We wanted a display that was full of energy and we certainly got that in the first half.
“Our lads play with an intensity in and out of possession – the manager wouldn’t have it any other way.
“The late goal to deny us a clean sheer took the icing off the cake, but that’s not something we’re going to dwell on.
“We were up against a good team who are on a decent run themselves this season and we could have won by more.”
Ben Davies assisted two of the goals after being recalled to the side, the second of which allowed Smith to open his Pompey account.
Richardson said: “When a striker comes to the club it’s to score goals, so he’ll be pleased to get off the mark.
“I’ve worked with him before and he’s a very technically gifted player. The more minutes he gets, the better he’ll do for us.
“Ben’s distribution is second to none. He got rested last week, but he was always going to play in this one.”
Watch Paul Cook’s thoughts on the game below or subscribe to Pompey PlayerHD for extended interviews with the manager and Michael Smith.