Boss reflects on Accrington win
It was a victory that was certainly welcome after successive league defeats.
But Paul Cook admitted that Pompey’s 2-0 defeat of Accrington at Fratton Park was not always easy on the eye.
Matt Clarke headed the hosts in front from a Gary Roberts cross with less than two minutes on the clock.
It took until stoppage-time for the three points to be secured, however, with substitute Kal Naismith surging up the pitch and slotting home.
And Cook was relieved that Pompey were able to return to winning ways against his former club.
The Blues boss said: “It was very painful to watch at times. We started well, but then deteriorated and got sloppy.
“We made it difficult for ourselves and it took a goal in stoppage-time just to ease everyone’s nerves.
“It’s been a tough week on the back of two defeats, though, so the players should take credit for the result.
“It wasn’t very pretty at times and it did get uncomfortable in the second half, but hopefully the win will give us a bit of momentum.
“If we score first then we’ve got a 100 per cent record this year, so it’s amazing what scoring early can do.
“Accrington were very honest and kept going without ever really causing us any problems.
“When it’s 1-0 it gets very tense and the atmosphere inside the stadium isn’t a particularly nice one, so it’s important we all stay together.
“It’s a massive week for us with another big game on Tuesday night, so we’re delighted with the victory.”
Watch Cook’s thoughts on the game below or subscribe to Pompey PlayerHD for full post-match video content.