Joe Morrell knows there were plenty of encouraging signs in Pompey’s performance against MK Dons.
So the midfielder was annoyed that they were unable to turn that into a positive result, as the visitors left Fratton Park with all three points.
Goals from Mo Eisa and Theo Corbeanu saw the Dons leading at the break, while George Hirst’s second half strike proved no more than a consolation.
And Morrell was dismayed that the Blues could not make the most of the pressure they applied.
The midfielder said: “It’s obviously frustrating and we can say there were plenty of positives, but ultimately we’ve lost the game.
“We’re in the business of winning matches – especially at this football club – so everyone’s feeling disappointed.
"It’s obviously frustrating and we can say there were plenty of positives, but ultimately we’ve lost the game."
“There have been times when we’ve played a lot worse than that this season and got a victory, but it’s always going to be difficult when you go 2-0 down.
“MK Dons will usually try to lure you in and slice you open, but the goals we conceded weren’t like that.
“It came at a time when we were in the ascendency and that knocked us off our stride, which is something we have to take responsibility for.
“But in the second half we played with great intensity, got into really promising areas and created chances.
“We probably lacked a mixture of quality and luck to make the most of them and need to make sure we finish on the right side of things.
“MK Dons played very deep and defended their goal well and we just couldn’t find a way through to get the equaliser.
“We don’t want to get too down, though, because there’s a long way to go this season and we know we can compete with anyone.”