Exclusive:‘I’ve let people down’: Family, emotions and Conor Chaplin’s hopes from Portsmouth season of adversity in stay from Ipswich Town

Conor Chaplin admitted he feels he’s let Pompey fans down as he revealed the emotional challenges he’s faced from a Fratton season of adversity.

And the huge Blues’ favourite has told of the influence of his family on allowing him to negotiate one of the most testing periods of his career at Fratton Park.

Chaplin emerged as the late, late hero, as he delivered a crucial 97th-minute winner to stun promotion chasers Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday.

The goal prompted an explosion of elation for the man who returned home on loan from Ipswich Town at the summer window’s climax, in a high-profile season-long loan deal.

It’s been a tough campaign for the academy graduate, with Chaplin’s two goals and three assists falling short of his and Pompey’s expectations.

The 29-year-old admitted that’s brought internal conflict which has tried him as a person and professional.

Chaplin exclusively told The News: ‘There’s been a lot of emotion.

‘There’s been a feeling of times that I’ve let people down - I’ve left the fans down and I’ve let the manager down.

‘But I genuinely haven’t dropped belief that I’m a very good player at this level, I’ve not dropped belief that I can make a difference for us until the end of the season.

‘I think once that belief goes you’re toast, so you really have to believe that.

‘Then I think it’s just the work every day. I like to do as much as I can to recover, as much as I can to be ready and stay ready.

‘I think moments like that at Middlesbrough justify why you do that. That’s rewards, in my eyes, for doing as much as you can to be ready and stay ready.

‘For me, it’s my family, my kids and my fiancee who’ve kept me going - that’s never been more so than now.

‘There’s been certain elements I’ve actually really enjoyed about this tough spell, because I’ve had a real upward trajectory in the last four or five years of my career.

‘I know that a career isn’t just linear, there’s all sorts of things which happen in a career - so I’ve genuinely enjoyed finding out what I’m made of in adversity.

‘I’ve enjoyed finding out how I react when people doubt me, I’ve enjoyed finding out how I react when things aren’t going my way and I’m not scoring goals.

‘I’ve found how good a professional I can be every single day when things aren’t going my way. I think that’s what I’m proud of most.’

Chaplin explained it’s his fiancee and his two sons who have provided him with context and perspective to negotiate the challenges he’s faced this season.

And, when considering his Pompey contribution, he feels satisfied they’ve helped him give total commitment to his club’s cause.

Chaplin added: ‘It’s my family, my fiancee and my two boys who have got me through it. Never more so has that helped me in my life.

‘I can go home and genuinely not think about football one bit - I need that, I’ve never had that before.

‘Before I had kids I just lived and breathed football. Football is still everything to me, everything, but nothing is as important to me as my family.

‘So when I go home I’m dad. What do my boys want? To be happy. What do I want do with my boys? Make them happy.

‘If I’d had this season without kids it would have made it a lot tougher. I would just be thinking about everything non stop. You do that to an extent, but there’s context and what really matters.

‘If I wasn’t playing well because I wasn’t trying or wasn't doing things right, I’d think about it more.

‘But I know I’m giving everything, I don’t think anyone can question what I give on the pitch in terms of work-rate and how I try to influence my team-mates.

‘That’s whether I’m playing well or not, that’s just what I believe in. That’s never going to change and I hope that people see that.

‘There’s a lot of things which go into playing well, but working hard is something you can control. Playing well sometimes is out of your control, but the work ethic is controllable.

‘Working hard, giving everything for the badge and team - that is something you can control.’