Gaffer: Portsmouth pulled off a classic win - and that QPR player had a mare and an absolute stinker

A win at last. How did that feel?

It wasn’t a classic game of football, but a classic win. Not the prettiest by any means, but one of those brilliant away wins where you work really hard.

We were positive and hard working, no-one had a bad game, some just had better matches than others. We were really solid - and it’s a win!

Pompey actually played more on the front foot. We came into the Championship still thinking we can pass it around the back and pass it 40 times, but you can’t do that. The first few games we were a bit slower than the other teams, but on Saturday were on the front foot.

Obviously those three points were desperately needed. We had to get a win under our belt otherwise the pressure just builds - and this puts a bit more confidence into us.

There can only be one man of the match, surely?

Definitely, it is 100 per cent Callum Lang, closely followed by Tom McIntyre, who was really good and looked brilliant on the ball.

Lang will rightly get all the praise, though. We miss him when he’s not playing, he makes such a difference to us.

He’s positive all the time, always pressing, and there was a bit in the second half where he could have gone backwards with the ball when we were 2-1 up and still went forward.

Pompey were a bit more like that on Saturday, they stopped deciding to turn back and recycling it. They were much more on the front foot, which is risky in one way, but really good to see.

And Lang roasted his full-back as well, Morgan Fox had a mare, an absolute stinker, and it’s because he presses all the time and is so clever as a footballer.

You mentioned McIntyre, what do you make of him now injury free?

He has settled into the side really well, which has surprised me.

It’s his calmness on the ball, his first touch was excellent against QPR, there was one bit in the first half where he walked through about five players and maybe should have had a shot himself as opposed to passing

Both him and Regan Poole are excellent at centre-back, just not massively tall, so we don’t have a lot of threat from corners and free-kicks. But on the ground, McIntyre outshone Poole at Loftus Road, which doesn’t happen very often.

You also took in Michael McKinson’s fight. How was that?

We went to the Copper Box in Stratford after the match, but unfortunately McKinson never got going and Tulani Mbenge got a points win.

He was all right for the first round or two, but never looked like he could hurt Mbenge, who was just a better boxer than him.

McKinson can’t have any complaints, he was a bit ragged and looked a little tired if anything, which is a real shame. Having gone there on a high after football, we wanted another win.

There were a good few Pompey there, so quite funny hearing the Pompey chants. There was also a Southampton bloke called Lewie Edmondson fighting at the end, with a few Saints fans there as well.

Nicolas Schmid - 7

Regan Poole - 8

Tom McIntyre - 9

Connor Ogilvie - 7

Jordan Williams - 8

Josh Murphy - 7

Marlon Pack - 7

Freddie Potts - 8

Callum Lang - 9

Christian Saydee - 7

Mark O’Mahony - 7