Skipper frustrated with Cheltenham draw
Michael Doyle was left with a feeling of what might have been at Cheltenham.
Pompey created plenty of clear-cut chances, with Carl Baker, Gary Roberts and Conor Chaplin all denied by Robins keeper Russell Griffiths.
Then there was a shot from Kyle Bennett that bounced back off the post early in the second half.
But the hosts took one of their rare opportunities and it took a late Michael Smith leveller to rescue a draw.
And there was a sense of frustration from Doyle that the Blues only left Whaddon Road with a solitary point.
Pompey’s skipper said: “It was a bit of a mixed bag for us. The first half was difficult, but all of the good bits of play came from us.
“We had some great chances before and after the break, but just couldn’t manage to take them.
“We should have been out of sight, but failed to win a header for the first time and they followed up to score.
“It’s disappointing and it knocked us a bit because we made a lot of mistakes for a few minutes after that.
“Fortunately, we managed to come through it and got ourselves back into the game with a goal.
“We thought we could go on to win once we equalised, but it’s nice that we’ve managed to leave with something.
“Cheltenham are a big, physical team, but we defended really well overall. We gave away too many silly free-kicks, though, and it’s something we need to rectify.
“But we stuck at it and the important thing is that we’re creating a lot of chances currently – we just need to put more of them away.”
Pompey will be missing Conor Chaplin when they travel to Luton on Tuesday after the striker collected his fifth booking of the season for dissent.
Doyle said: “It’s disappointing to lose such an important player, but Smudger came on and got a goal, which is great for him.
“He and Hunty were outstanding when they were brought on, so fortunately we’ve got good back-up.”