STEVIE’S WONDER
‘Gerrard told me to get goals while on loan.. I hope it’s first of many’
PORTSMOUTH 1 Pitman 87 pen SHREWSBURY 1 Docherty 74 GREG DOCHERTY is under orders from Steven Gerrard to add goals to his game while on loan at Shrewsbury.
So scoring a brilliant volley with his first touch seconds after coming on is not a bad way to impress his Rangers boss.
The midfielder’s 73rdminute arrival was greeted with sarcastic cries of, “Who?” from many Fratton Park fans. The answer came moments later when he drifted into the box, saw Christian Burgess’s poor header drop onto his right foot and guided the ball perfectly into the bottom corner to give the visitors a deserved lead.
“The manager said to me, “Go and get us a goal”. I was happy to contribute because it’s something I want to add to my game,” said the 21-year-old.
“He (Gerrard) told me he wants me to get goals and add that to my game so that’s something I want to keep doing. It’s my first league goal and I hope the first of many. I had a few options in Scotland but always had it in my head to come down to England and I’m relishing the challenge.”
He was one of 16 new arrivals at Shrewsbury in a busy summer that saw a similar number leave last term’s League One play-off finalists, along with manager Paul Hurst.
The huge turnover has made that campaign a tough act to follow and Brett Pitman’s 87th-minute equaliser for Portsmouth from the penalty spot denied Shrewsbury what would have been a first win of the season. Hurst’s successor John Askey, appointed after winning the National League with Macclesfield, said: “It’s difficult because before coming into the job I didn’t know the league, so that’s the hardest part.
“But now we’ve the players in we’re starting to gel a bit.”
Pompey had taken a bit of a first-half battering before Pitman got them off the hook after Omar Beckles tripped Jamal Lowe and will have to be better at leaders Peterborough on Saturday.