Jackett hails Portsmouth players after win at Fleetwood

Posted Sunday, December 30, 2018 by PA

Portsmouth boss Kenny Jackett hailed his side’s character as they fought back to beat Fleetwood 5-2 and ensure they ended 2018 at the top of the League One table.

Ben Thompson opened the scoring for Portsmouth with Paddy Madden levelling in the 39th minute.

Madden was then fouled by Matt Clarke with Ched Evans giving Fleetwood a 2-1 lead at the break.

Dean Marney was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 51st minute for a foul on Thompson.

Jackett’s side levelled soon after as Ross Wallace was ruled to have fouled Ronan Curtis in the box.

Brett Pitman levelled form the spot with Anton Walkes completing the turnaround in the 58th minute.

James Wallace and Madden hit the post for Fleetwood but Jamal Lowe’s late double killed off any hopes of a Town fight-back.

And Jackett hailed his side’s character.

He said: “You always need good character because there will always be ups and downs if you are going to be successful.

“You have to win many different games.

“There were a lot of tests for us and I’m pleased for the players because they overcame it with good quality and good character.

He added: “At 3-2 I felt we needed more goals.

“In the likes of Madden and Evans they have a lot of experience and quality.

“They had one or two players behind them that can serve them.

“I always felt while they are throwing everything at us and at 11 versus 10 we needed to make it pay when we broke to put the game away.”

Fleetwood boss Joey Barton said anyone who was at the game would have known it was not a comfortable victory for the league leaders.

He said: “We had an opportunity to go eight unbeaten and prove that this is a difficult place for any side in our division to come to.

“I think anyone who is not at the game will think ‘oh Portsmouth, top of the table, they have won that one relatively comfortably’.

“But anyone that was here (knew it wasn’t). Kenny is a good coach, knows this division and how to set a team up.

“But when we got that momentum swing of that Paddy Madden goal half-time then helped them. We did not want half-time.

“We got the second goal and you are disappointed that half-time has come. It is like a boxer being saved by the bell.

“I felt we were the side that would go on and get the third goal. Half-time interrupts that. We come out and make a very strange choice, find ourselves down to 10. At that point we are up against it.”