Portsmouth won’t get carried away by unbeaten start – Danny Cowley

Posted Wednesday, August 17, 2022 by PA

Portsmouth head coach Danny Cowley was remaining grounded after his side came from behind to thrash Cambridge 4-1 and extend their unbeaten start to the season to five matches.

Summer signing Colby Bishop made it five goals in as many games as the south coast side, watched by Chelsea and England midfielder and Pompey fan Mason Mount, climbed to third place in the League One table.

A delighted Cowley said: “We are five unbeaten, which is good. I don’t think it is the moment to get ahead of ourselves because we are a work in progress.

“I was really pleased with the character we showed in the first half because Cambridge are a very awkward team to play against.

“They are very well organised and have a threat going forward but I felt we had just started to get on top of them when we conceded a really poor goal.

“To get the goal just before half-time helped and in the second half we looked a really good team.

“We just stayed in their half, suffocated them and the intensity increased. It is obviously good to score four goals at home.

“We scored some good goals, some from crosses which is good because we knew we had to add more goals from crosses.”

Cambridge took the lead 15 minutes before half-time when Joe Ironside turned in Liam O’Neil’s corner at the near post.

Bishop equalised just before half-time, tapping in from close range after captain Sean Raggett had nodded Owen Dale’s cross back across the face of goal.

The hosts took the lead on the hour mark when Cambridge goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov dropped Tom Lowery’s free-kick and Ronan Curtis bundled the ball over the line from close range.

Mitov was at fault again as Pompey doubled their lead with 20 minutes remaining, allowing substitute Michael Jacobs’s shot from 12 yards to squirm through his legs into the net.

Defender Conor Ogilvie nodded in Reeco Hackett’s cross 13 minutes from time to complete victory.

Cambridge boss Mark Bonner said: “It was a big lesson for us tonight.

“Portsmouth are one of the biggest clubs in the league and they had too much quality for us.

“I think it’s inspiring, exciting and challenging for us to try and show that we can compete on a level with these clubs that have far greater resources.

“Portsmouth were ruthless and showed that if you make mistakes against that calibre of opponent then you get punished.”