Pompey boss pleased with positive reaction
‘Good performances’ in attack and defence as impressive Blues sink Gills
KENNY Jackett spoke of his Pompey delight after bouncing back to winning ways at Gillingham last night.
The Blues netted twice in the opening 17 minutes through John Marquis and Michael Jacobs to establish a two-goal Priestfield Stadium lead which proved conclusive.
Such was the impressive nature of Pompey’s display, they could have scored several more times as they comfortably secured a third successive away victory in all competitions.
It was the ideal response to Saturday’s deeply disappointing 1-0 loss to Doncaster Rovers at Fratton Park.
And it also said plenty about the players – and their under-fire manager.
Jackett told The News: ‘It’s nice to bounce back after the defeat on Saturday.
‘I don’t think we particularly deserved to lose that game, we didn’t get the goals that our good performance warranted.
‘We changed things slightly tonight and defended and competed well, looking like scoring goals.
‘Even in the second half I did think we needed that third goal and we did have some early chances such as John Marquis’ header and Ryan Williams on the followup.
‘Although they didn’t go in, we saw it through to the end and defended it very well.
‘I did feel both defensively and coming forward there were some good performances tonight and while for the majority of the game we needed the third, we saw it through at the back.
‘Gillingham do commit a lot of bodies forward and we have to then be ready to commit on the break.
‘If you can do that, there is always a goal threat for you.’
The Blues have now moved up to eighth in the table following their third League One triumph of the season.
Next they must head to Sunderland on Saturday, representing their toughest match so far after seven fixtures.
He added: ‘I am pleased with the group we have put together, we are looking forward now to the next couple of months.
‘It will be hard physically. The players are ready, though. There is some quality there, some hunger there and we want to get into a rhythm and avoid injuries.
‘If that is possible, with hard work and encouragement, the players can keep developing.’
■ CHAIRMAN Michael Eisner was pleased to see a ‘more aggressive Pompey’ in their victory at Gillingham.
The Blues bounced back to winning ways with a 2-0 League One victory and Eisner celebrated the success.
Pompey’s owner wrote on Twitter: ‘Nice to see a stronger, more aggressive #Pompey tonight.’