Midfielder only focused on Mansfield
Danny Hollands insists that Pompey have to leave their Newport nightmare in the past.The Blues produced arguably their worst performance of the season in a 3-0 home defeat last Saturday.
That came just a few days after they had impressed in a scintillating victory at high-flying Accrington.
But while Hollands was disappointed to drop valuable league points, his mind is now on this weekend’s trip to Mansfield.
The midfielder said: “We need to make sure we’re on our game and produce a performance like we did at Accrington.
“If we do that, then I’m sure we’ve got enough to beat them – even though we know it will be a tough test.
“It’s just been a case of getting our heads down and working hard in training during the week.
“One of the most important things for us is that we stay positive as a group because if we stop believing then there’s no point in turning up.
“It was a massive opportunity for us against Newport last week and we understand the fans’ frustration.
“Everyone was bitterly disappointed, but it’s vital that we get our minds back on what we can achieve.
“The manager gave us a bit of time off this week so we could recharge our batteries and now we’ve refocused and are in a good frame of mind.
“We have a great squad on paper – but football’s not played on paper, so we have to make sure we’re at our best for what is now, essentially, 10 cup finals.”