Defender delighted to return in cup victory
There was plenty of cheer around Fratton Park as Pompey saw off Ipswich in an Emirates FA Cup third round replay.
But there was an extra reason for Christian Burgess to have a smile on his face.
The defender came through 85 minutes of the tie, having been sidelined for more than a month with an ankle problem.
And he was delighted to be back on the pitch to help the Blues progress to the fourth round.
Burgess said: “I was able to get through a fair amount of the game and enjoyed being back in the side and part of a good result.
“The ankle felt fine, although towards the 60-minute mark I started to feel my calves a bit.
“The weather means I haven’t done a lot of work out on the pitches and it’s not the same on the bike.
“The gaffer took no chances, but Adam Barton went back into defence and did a good job, as we all know he can.
“Now it’s up to the manager whether I play or not in an important league match against Oxford on Saturday. It’s a massive game.”
Gary Roberts and Marc McNulty were on target against the Tractor Boys to set up a fourth round clash with Bournemouth.
Burgess said: “It was a great performance from the lads and I’m sure the crowd enjoyed it.
“The Bournemouth game at home is an exciting prospect and it’s one that we feel we can win.
“There will be another large crowd and hopefully we can give them something to cheer about.”
Great to be back out there tonight, couldn't have gone any better! Lads were brilliant. Some crowd too on a cold Tuesday night 👏🏼👏🏼 #PUP
— Christian Burgess (@Burgey44) January 19, 2016