‘There was’ - The honest view from Portsmouth dressing room after Preston North End disappointment
Cohen Bramall has revealed there were some hard words spoken in the Pompey dressing room at full-time against Preston.
And the left-back has been left angered by the Blues’ game management after his side fell to a 2-1 defeat in Lancashire.
John Mousinho’s men suffered late heartbreak at Deepdale as Stefan Thordarson’s 87th-minute winner claimed all three points for the Lilywhites. Pompey thought they had stolen a point when Colby Bishop cancelled out Ryan Porteous’ opener with seven minutes to go.
Yet, it was North End who claimed the victory as the midfielder’s effort from a tight-ankle in the dying stages left, with the loss denting Pompey’s survival hopes.
Speaking after the defeat, Bramall is adamant the Blues should’ve come away with at least a point - stating only have themselves to blame.
The 28-year-old said: ‘Pretty annoyed to be honest. We should’ve minimum got a draw out of it. I’ll be honest, I don't have a lot to say, it’s just really disappointing. I thought we were the better team especially in the first half but it’s just decision making and game management. I’m just really angry.
‘There was (hard words said at full-time). We are just doing silly things late on in the game when we’ve equalised. We just needed to manage the game better and take control of it. It was a point minimum because we were better by a bit. It’s just a low blow that’s how I feel.
‘It was just game management and we have to at least take a point - that’s all it was. We’ve done stupid things in the 87th minute. We’ve done silly things which we shouldn’t be doing late on in games. We’ve now taken the loss from silly mistakes.’
‘I thought we did well in the first half, got into 1v1 positions and could’ve had a few goals I think and we just didn’t take the chances.’
Pompey face Blackburn after international break
Pompey will have to rue on the defeat to Preston for two weeks, with Mousinho’s men out of action until March 29th due to the international break.
Despite the late disappointment against the Lilywhites, Bramall is adamant the Blues will be boosted by a return to Fratton Park when they face Blackburn in a fortnight’s time.
‘The lads wanted to go into the break with confidence and our heads held high but it’s one of them ones where we’ve got to manage the game better. It’s frustrating, it’s going to hurt for the next couple of days but I just think we need to get back in training and keep focused.
‘We know what we’re capable of, especially at home. I think we’re a completely different team at home to be honest. We know what we need to do.’