Boss thrilled with Accrington triumph
It was a perfect half of football from Pompey at the Wham Stadium.
Playing with confidence, passing the ball around nicely – oh, and three unanswered goals to practically sew the game up before the break.
Kyle Bennett’s drive and a Matty Pearson own-goal had Accrington on the ropes before Michael Doyle’s stunner floored them completely.
The visitors were not quite so fluent after the interval and allowed Shay McCartan to grab a late consolation.
But Paul Cook was left purring about what happened before the half-time whistle.
The Blues boss said: “I think our supporters can be proud of their side because we absolutely dominated a team who have been excellent at home.
“It was a great performance from our lads and they deserve all the credit in the world.
“I’m delighted for everyone. You’ll always have good and bad days as a manager – well this was definitely a good one.
“The first half performance was probably one of the best I’ve ever been involved in and the scoreline was a fair reflection.
“We came to Accrington with an intent to win the game – and I think that was there for everyone to see.”
The result saw Pompey leapfrog their opponents into fourth spot and close the gap on the automatic promotion places to just six points.
Cook said: “What we haven’t done on enough occasions is put the teams above us under pressure – well now they’ll look behind themselves and see us.
“It doesn’t mean that we’re definitely going to catch them, but we’re finding some form at the moment.
“Now we have to go again and we’ll look forward to facing Newport in front of a massive crowd who will now believe in us even more.”
Watch Cook’s thoughts on the game below or subscribe to Pompey PlayerHD for extended interviews with the manager and Doyle.
Watch Cook’s thoughts on the game below or subscribe to Pompey PlayerHD for extended interviews with the manager and Doyle.