Portsmouth boss points to key factors behind humiliating Bristol City thrashing

The Pompey boss branded the 5-0 battering at Ashton Gate a game too far for his group, as they fell to a humiliating Championship low.

The Blues were woeful throughout, made shocking individual errors and then sent up the white flag as Gerhard Struber’s side ran riot.

Mousinho insisted the display was not a low ebb for his Fratton managerial tenure, however, as he could see the impact a host of missing players had on Pompey’s performance.

He said: ‘There’s plenty of mitigating factors for it, in terms of where we are as a squad at the minute.

‘It was a game too far.

‘The other night we patched things together and produced a positive result, after some decent performances and results.This one was just too much for us.

‘There is still plenty we can do out there that’s better.

‘We need to be much better as a coaching staff and players, it’s ultimately one where everything went wrong on the day.

‘There’s so much more we need to do in response to going a goal down.

‘The first goal was a brilliant goal, there was nothing we could really do about that but our response wasn’t good enough. It deflated us and we just didn’t respond well enough at all.

‘It’s not (his lowest point as Pompey boss) actually, because I can understand why that has happened and where we are.

‘Any group losing that amount of front line players wouldn’t cope particularly well. We saw that it was too much for us, it was physically too much for us,

‘We didn’t look solid when we pressed and we looked exposed. It was one of those tough days.

‘The players know we weren’t good enough, and we got things wrong as a coaching staff as well.

‘I could go and lose the plot with them, it won’t change how they feel.

‘The group is trying extremely hard, but things aren’t quite good enough. The effort levels are there, but we’ve come unstuck.

‘I could throw tea-cups, but I don’t think that actually helps the group at the minute. We have to try to stay as positive as possible, while maintaining realism.’

Mark Kosznovszky (knee) and Marlon Pack (hamstring) have been added to Pompey’s injury list with Hayden Matthews coming off in the second half with an ankle issue.

They are added to Josh Murphy, Colby Bishop, Callum Lang, Josh Knight, Connor Ogilvie, Thomas Waddingham, Florian Bianchini who are all also injured.

Mousinho added: ‘We went away to Derby with a front line of Josh Murphy, Colby Bishop and Callum Lang.

‘Then behind that we’re missing Connor Ogivie, Marlon Pack, Mark Kosznovszky and Josh Knight to name a few. It’s tough when you’re in that situation.

‘That doesn’t excuse some of the things we did today.

‘It’s difficult enough competing in the Championship Saturday to Saturday with a fully fit squad at our level of competition. It just became too much for us.’