"Brings me so much joy" - Danny Cowley reacts to Portsmouth being crowned League One champions | OneFootball

Former Portsmouth FC manager Danny Cowley has reacted to Pompey winning the league at Fratton Park on Tuesday night.

After seven seasons in League One, Portsmouth have won promotion to the Championship, and they've done it as champions.

A 3-2 victory over Barnsley crowned the Fratton Park residents on Tuesday night, and it means that they are back to being a second tier team for the first time since the 2011/12 campaign.

Bolton Wanderers failing to win at home to Shrewsbury meant that the celebrations of promotion had started well before Pompey made their comeback. But goals from Colby Bishop and Conor Shaughnessy in the 83rd and 89th minute, respectively, helped them on their way to lifting the League One title on that night as well.

Manager John Mousinho said after the game, to the Portsmouth News: "It has been emotional and I feel extremely happy for the boys because they put a huge amount of hard work in. 46 games in a league season is just an incredible grind to go again and again and again."

"For my first game against Exeter, the plane flew over with a banner saying 'Eisners: No Plan, No Ambition'. I knew at the time there was a definite plan and a huge amount of ambition.

"I’m delighted for the owners, they took a perceived big risk in bringing me in, at the time I didn’t think it would happen," added the 37-year-old. "But for Andy Cullen, Tony Brown and Rich Hughes to say “This is the guy we want to take the football club forward”, I am delighted for them. There was a lot of pressure on them when this appointment was made."

The man that the former Oxford United player replaced was Cowley, and the now Colchester United boss gave his reaction to Portsmouth's promotion.

Danny Cowley's reaction to Portsmouth being crowned League One champions

The 45-year-old took charge of just under 100 Pompey games before being sacked and replaced by Mousinho. He won 43 of his 97 games in charge at a rate of 1.59 points per game, as per .

Following on from their win over Barnsley, which completed their promotion push, Cowley responded to the club's celebrations via X. He said: "What a brilliant achievement for a truly special football club. John Mousinho, the incredible staff & players have performed just brilliantly throughout the season.

"It brings me so much joy to see the happiness that this success has brought to the people of @Pompey. Enjoy! PUP."

It was an additionally good night for him because his current team, Colchester, secured a vital three points against Grimsby Town, which takes them four points clear of the drop zone, and they have a game in hand on Sutton United.

Danny Cowley showed his ever present class in Portsmouth promotion response

There will be a part of the former Pompey boss' mind that thinks 'That should have been me who took them up to the second tier', as would be natural in any competitive person's head. His only full season in charge saw them finish 10th in the 21/22 campaign - 10 points off the play-off places.

Some managers would hold an element of resentment or bitterness towards a former club who went on to achieve great things soon after they left, but not Cowley.

He showed his true happiness for the club and what they have achieved, and that reflects the wonderful person that he is.