Portsmouth head coach Danny Cowley unhappy after draw with Cheltenham

Portsmouth head coach Danny Cowley lamented his side’s poor start after being held to a 1-1 draw at home by Cheltenham.

Pompey recovered from falling behind after six minutes to rescue a point thanks to Reeco Hackett’s equalising goal.

But Cowley said: “We wanted all three points.

“That was the ambition at the start of the game but we had such a difficult way in, conceding such a soft goal.

“It’s hard when you are on a difficult run and you concede the first goal.

“It took us a bit of time but eventually we did respond and got the goal back.

“In the second half there was a lot of effort, we played with energy and intensity, created some good moments but lacked the quality to get the three points.

“We were the dominant team and the more likely to win but when you concede a poor goal, you make it that much more difficult.

“We have to start games better because if you want to win games you have to play for 90 minutes.

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“At the moment we are playing in parts but that is not enough.”

Cheltenham struck first when defender Lewis Freestone capitalised on Pompey midfielder Louis Thompson’s mis-hit a clearance to claim a first career goal.

Portsmouth levelled the game on 31 minutes through Hackett. Scott Flinders punched away a cross to deny John Marquis from close range but Hackett responded instantly with a pinpoint volley from the edge of the box.

Kyle Vassell squandered a golden opportunity after finding himself unmarked in the Portsmouth box.

Cheltenham manager Michael Duff said: “At Portsmouth away you would always take a point. I thought were more than good value for it.

“We scored a really good goal but gave a poor one away.

“I was really pleased with the performance. That was a lot more like how we want to play.

“We passed the ball around well but are still learning as a group. There are definitely signs of progress.

“We have played Porrsmouth and Sheffield Wednesday, two massive clubs with a fantastic fanbase, and arguably edged both games.”

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