Wow - what a way to start. Pompey chalked up their first opening-day win since 2006 with three second-halfs to see off a spirited effort by Dagenham and Redbridge and earn a deserved three points.

Paul Cook had to patient but won't have minded that as his new team kept their composure to break down the Daggers and run out very comfortable in front of a jubilant sun-baked crowd.

Gareth Evans and Kyle Bennett (2) - who were two of nine players making their Pompey debuts - scored the goals after the break to lift a little bit of tension created by the Blues dominating long spells of the first half without finding the net.

The major surprise in the starting line-up was Brian Murphy coming straight into goal a day after signing, leaving Paul Jones no doubt disappointed to be on the bench.

There were also debuts for Ben Davies, Christian Burgess, Enda Stevens and Matt Clarke in defence and Michael Doyle and Gary Roberts in midfield.

Pompey bossed the game from the start and Roberts, Burgess and Bennett all troubled the Daggers defence from an early series of Blues attacks in front of a crowd of just under 17,000.

Roberts and Bennett again, and Matt Tubbs, all threatened either side of a drinks break - well we are only eight days into August - and Dagenham could manage only one attack of note in the opening 45 minutes, which ended when Nigel Atangana got back to clear the danger.

Six minutes into the second half, Fratton Park was celebrating for the first time this season when Evans headed a Bennett corner back across the keeper and in. It lifted any tension that had been building and from then on there was only going to be one winner.

Eleven minutes later, Bennett scored the second and it was a goal that may not be bettered for some time at Fratton. He picked up a throw from the impressive Stevens, cut inside and fired a shot beyond the keeper and in off the underside of the crossbar.

Now it was a case of how many Pompey could win by and Bennett doubled his tally and made the points safe with another super strike - this one from nearly 25 yards after a Roberts pass.

Danny Hollands and Jayden Stockley made late appearances with the game already won and there was never any hint of a Daggers consolation.

This is only one game, but it is an impressive start to the Cook era - not a bad day for sporting types of that surname, you might say. There will be considerably tougher tests than that posed by Dagenham - such as clashes with Derby and Plymouth to come this week - but you can't ask for more than a convincing win, and plenty of positives, from your first game.

Pompey: Murphy; Davies, Burgess, Clarke, Stevens; Atangana (Hollands 68), Doyle (c); Evans, Roberts, Bennett (Stockley 76); Tubbs (Chaplin 84). Subs not used: Jones, Webster, Haunstrup, McGurk

Referee: Carl Boyeson

Attendance: 16,948 (279 away fans)

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