Cook: Confidence gained from Pompey's Trophy victory
Paul Cook basked in the positive side of Checkatrade Trophy involvement as Pompey defeated Bristol Rovers.
The Blues must now await the outcome of Yeovil and Reading under-23s’ encounter tomorrow night before learning whether they have qualified for the knock-out stages.
In the meantime, Kal Naismith gave them a 1-0 victory over Rovers with an 88th-minute goal.
Watched by a crowd of 1,200 – the lowest in Fratton Park post-war history – the hosts also missed a sixth-minute penalty through Michael Smith.
But Cook was delighted to end a run of three successive Fratton Park defeats.
He said: ‘It’s pleasing after Saturday’s disappointment.
‘We played very good opposition tonight, it’s a good result for the lads, especially in terms of confidence. We kept a clean sheet and had a couple of good chances in the game, especially in the first half.
‘We keep having disappointments. It was the disappointment tonight of starting the game really well and positively – then missing the penalty. That’s the way it goes for you sometimes.
‘After 84 minutes, I said to the staff, these are defining moments now because you feel you could lose it 1-0 and everyone goes “oh no, here we go again”. But we have gone on and won the game.
‘We have a big game here on Saturday and I’m looking forward to it.’