29-03-2021, 11:00 AM
I felt at half time on Saturday on IFollow that the first half was the best 45 minutes I had seen from a Pompey side for a very long time. What surprised me was that Cowley has got them playing out from the back i.e. via the short pass from McGillivray and then gradual continued possession with no long kicking. Close was the kingpin in all of that, it suited him down to the ground and he was a major influence. If I had know beforehand that passing and movement whilst keeping possession was to be the norm for the Cowley I might have wondered whether we had enough of that type of player to adapt. But Saturday proved that it can be achieved, although that early 2nd half goal from the Shrews meant that our defensive element had to come to the fore.