Portsmouth’s new weapon Danny Cowley has at his disposal for promotion battle with Derby, Ipswich, Peterborough & Co

For the first time this season, the Blues lined up using a back three against MK Dons in the FA Cup last week just days after it was trialled late in their victory over Ipswich.

It was a system which was the head coach’s go to style last term, before reverting to a back four in the latter stages of the campaign.

Cowley explained that injuries and players arriving late in the window denied them the chance of working on different formations in training.

But having deployed a back three last week, the Blues boss believes the time was right to unleash their new weapon.

He told The News: ‘There was a lot to like when we watched back Saturday’s performance, particularly in the first hour.

‘We had a new system and when you change the system, particularly against a real tactical team like MK Dons there’s always going to be some areas where you can take learning from. I think last week was really good for us.

‘The great thing is we go into the game on Sunday with two different options, which we probably didn’t have before. In pre-season we were a group that was coming together.

‘We didn’t have a forward in the building until 10 days before the start of the season so once we did get the squad together, it was very much focusing on plan a.

‘Naturally we are in a position now where we can start to look at different options.

‘We are not too scared of the numbers, we often change the formation but it’s our principles that are really important to us. Sometimes it can give you some flexibility.

‘This season we have predominantly played with a back four, I think having the option to go to a back three or back five just gives you an extra degree of flexibility.

‘When you’re playing against different teams who have different strengths, being able to adapt numbers can sometimes help you. We like to have that in our armoury. ‘

Michael Morrison revealed after the 3-2 victory that it was a last minute decision to change to a back three in a bid to hide any secrets.

And that idea is backed up by Cowley, who is adamant his side can use that to their advantage and spring some surprises on their opponents.

He added: ‘When you’re playing the opponent, if the opponent knows that you only use one system you’re then easier for them to prepare for. When you use more systems, it makes it more difficult for your opponent.

‘For all of those reasons, we are really pleased that we introduced it last Saturday and pleased with elements of our performance in that game.

‘It allowed us to take some learning and to keep working on it moving forward.’