NAYL US ON FOR TITLE BID
Tom loves pressure as Pompey lead the way
TOM NAYLOR reckons League One table toppers Portsmouth are thriving on their lofty position rather than feeling the pressure.
The midfielder, 27, gave Pompey the lead against Wimbledon with his first goal for the club, before captain Gareth Evans doubled the visitors’ advantage in the first half.
James Hanson’s fine strike halved the deficit after the break, but Kenny Jackett’s men held on to make it 19 points from a possible 21 on their travels this season.
Naylor said: “I don’t think there’s any pressure on us being top of the league. We thrive off it.
Bounce
“Everyone wants to be top and everyone wants to beat us.
“It’s our job to stay there and we thrive off that opportunity.
“We lost last week but we’ve come back and it was massively important to win after Gillingham.
“It’s always nice to bounce back the following week with three points.
“We’re bound to lose games, that’s just the way it is.
“But I’ve always said, ‘You don’t lose two on the bounce’ – and we didn’t.”
Naylor joined Portsmouth from Burton on a free transfer in the summer. He added: “I’m over the moon with the first goal. I don’t think I’ve scored a goal from outside of the box, but a goal’s a goal. I need to try to shoot more.”
The defeat was Wimbledon’s eighth of the season and fourth on the spin, piling more pressure on boss Neil Ardley. But captain Deji Oshilaja said: “We’re definitely behind the manager. That’s not in question.
“Everything we do, we do it together. When we were playing well, everyone is right behind him and when we’re not getting results, we’re still behind the manager.
“It’s not a manager thing and it’s not a player thing, it’s a matter of us digging out results, grinding out results and getting the wins.”
Ardley played for Wimbledon between 1991 and 2002, before becoming manager in 2012 – and Oshilaja believes that passion for the club will be driving the boss.
He added: “He’s a good manager and he will be hurting as well because he cares.
“Obviously he’s a legend here and he’s a fan, and for us to be putting in performances and getting results, that’s what he wants.
“We have to stick together and if we are going to get out of this slump, we’re going to do it together.”