Boss Jackett gives reasons why first team got minutes in Gosport friendly
IT was billed as a Pompey XI fixture, a tag backed up by the pre-printed teamsheet distributed before kick-off.
Gosport were expecting to welcome a mixture of Academy youngsters and first-team substitutes in need of minutes.
Instead they got the
Blues team which had faced Stevenage in the Carabao Cup.
Kenny Jackett denied the apparent change of policy represented a backlash from that disappointing showing on the opening day of Pompey’s season.
An abject opening 45 minutes against the League Two side was partly redeemed by a significant second-half improvement as they claimed a penalty shoot-out victory.
Nonetheless, there was plenty to concern Blues followers – and Jackett.
What unfolded was those 10 starters from the Lamex Stadium, plus Craig MacGillivray, lined up against Gosport on Tuesday night.
And Shaun Gale’s side slipped to a 4-0 defeat against an opposition whose calibre would have taken those supporters present by surprise.
Jackett told The News: ‘What happened at Stevenage didn’t particularly affect our approach to the Gosport game.
‘I did feel that things have changed. That match was moved forward a week, which was the right thing to do, but it then left us without a game this weekend.
‘We had a big pre-season up until the play-offs, then a month off before training a lot since.
‘So match practice was really important. It’s about getting into a game environment, the build up to a game, the preparation, and then, for myself, to look at different combinations topped up by some running straight after.
‘We can put on as many in-house games or training sessions as we want – and we’ve put on many of those – but it was better for us to go to Gosport.
‘We are heading into a really important week where we start with the Colchester game in the
EFL Trophy and then
– the big one – which is Shrewsbury in League One on September 12.
‘We will have a practice match at Fratton
Park on Saturday. Then it’s onto Colchester in the EFL Trophy in under a week’s time.’
With 11 changes at the break, the Pompey side which took to the field for the second half was more representative of expectations. They included fit-again pair Reeco Hackett-Fairchild and Ellis Harrison and Cameron Pring, who had been recruited on loan from Bristol City earlier that day.
With Alex Bass carrying an ankle knock, Duncan Turnbull went in goal, while Jack Whatmough, Andy Cannon, Ben Close and Ryan Williams were among other familiar faces.
Jackett added: ‘The second-half side had quite a number of senior pros mixed in with some young good players.
‘Cameron Pring came on for his first 45 minutes after signing. It gave him a bit of a run out, he’s had some minutes at Bristol City, but not that many.
‘It’s good for him to get a Pompey shirt on and get to know the players’ names.’
Kenny Jackett started with 10 of the 11 players he named at Stevenage in the friendly win at Gosport