Danny Cowley issues frank Portsmouth admission following Fleetwood Town draw | OneFootball

Portsmouth head coach Danny Cowley has admitted that his side will have to forget about achieving success in League One if they cannot overcome the challenges posed by teams such as Fleetwood Town.

Pompey entered last Saturday’s clash as favourites to secure all three points as their opponents had only managed to pick up three victories in this division ahead of this fixture.

However, despite taking the lead against the Cod Army, Portsmouth eventually had to settle for a draw at Fratton Park.

Josh Koroma opened the scoring for Pompey in the seventh minute as he slotted home after being teed up by Owen Dale.

Fleetwood responded to Portsmouth’s goal by levelling proceedings via an effort from Carlos Mendes Gomes.

Following the break, Marlon Pack went close to sealing victory for Pompey as his long-range strike hit the woodwork.

Having failed to win any of their last three league games, Portsmouth will be determined to get back on track by defeating Charlton Athletic on October 17th.

Reflecting on his side’s latest outing, Cowley has offered an honest assessment of Pompey’s performance.

Speaking to The News, Cowley said: “We are always concerned when we don’t win because we want to win, we are frustrated, that was a winnable game for us, we should win that match.

“I’m really angry, really frustrated, that’s eight days now until our next game, it’s going to be a long eight days.

“I told the players in the dressing room afterwards that we won’t be a successful team unless you win those games.

“In that last 20-25 minutes we all got a bit frustrated – and we all have to be patient.

“We started to force our play and that’s why we weren’t as effective in the final parts of the game.

“That’s unlike us, we like to play with the control and the rhythm and are a better team when we do that. We are not a good team when we play toss-of-the-coin football, hopeful football.

“That’s what happened in the last 15 minutes, but if we defend properly and take our chances then the game’s out of sight.”

12 quiz questions about Portsmouth FC legends - Can you score full marks?

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How many league goals did Guy Whittingham score for Portsmouth in the 1992-93 season?

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The Verdict

Pompey will be hoping that this recent run of form turns out to be a minor blip as they have shown some real signs of promise under the guidance of Cowley this season.

Currently fourth in the League One standings, there is no reason why Pompey cannot launch a push for promotion in the coming months.

By learning from the mistakes that they made against Fleetwood, Portsmouth could potentially secure all three points in their upcoming showdown with the Addicks.

Providing that they do go on to secure all three points at The Valley, Pompey may be able to use the confidence gained from this result to push on in the third-tier.