Late goal ruins winger’s Pompey return
He was a surprise inclusion when the teams were confirmed an hour before kick-off at the Globe Arena.
Kal Naismith had not appeared for Pompey since the FA Cup first round victory over Macclesfield at the start of November.
The winger was then sent on loan to Hartlepool to get some more competitive games under his belt.
But he was named in the Blues side against Morecambe and provided the assist for Gareth Evans’ first half opener.
Ultimately, however, his return ended in disappointment as goalkeeper Barry Roche headed home a stoppage-time equaliser.
“It’s very hard to take,” said Naismith. “I’ve never experienced that before in my career.
“The goalkeeper gets a glance on the cross and it goes in when it looked like we had done a good job to see the game out and collect the three points.
“But it’s happened, so we have to move on, pick ourselves up and try to put it right in our next match.
“We knew it was going to be a tough test, but the boys battled well and we had done alright up to that point.
“The conditions weren’t ideal, but they were the same for both sides. We just had to get on with it.
“It was nice to be back in the starting line-up again, but it would have felt so much better if we’d have got the win.
“I’m sure that when I sit down and think about the game later on I’ll be able to take some positives from it.
“It’s good to be involved with the other lads again, but at the moment it all still feels very raw.”