Pompey begin a spell without Danny Hollands when they go to Accrington - but boss Paul Cook believes he has the men in the squad to cover the gap.

Cook admitted losing Hollands to a fractured tibula was a big blow but said Ben Close and Adam Barton were both able replacements alongside Michael Doyle.

Close filled in with Hollands when Doyle was rested at Ipswich, while Barton has slotted into midfield and defence with some ease in recent months.

Cook was giving no clues as to who would fill in for Hollands as he looked forward to what he reckoned would be a tussle with the most high-achieving side in League Two this season, Accrington.

He told The News: ‘Losing Danny is a massive blow, it is so disappointing. That middle area of the pitch is where we need to win games, it should give you the platform to go and be stronger at the top end of the pitch.

‘Danny and Michael have been doing a fantastic job over a period of time. If you look at the lack of goals going in, there has been a pressure on the defensive midfielders to do a job, and the centre halves, and goalkeepers.

‘Ben Close was excellent against Ipswich, you would never know that was his first game since September, never. He was another one I thought was absolutely magnificent playing against someone like Cole Skuse, who is a seasoned Championship footballer.

‘Adam is just himself. For me he has done fantastically good at the club in general. I think everyone can now see the reasons why Adam was brought to the club. He’s such a talented footballer.

‘In a team like ours, if you look at Adam’s run in the team when he came in and where he is now I think he is a lot more confident within himself. They both come into it. This is the thing about squads.'

One man likely to feature a little further forward is Gary Roberts, who has proved his fitness with recent appearances after missing the best part of three months injured.

He told the Pompey website it was a vital game and added: 'If we beat Accrington then we’re fending them off a bit and keeping in touch with the lads above us. It’s a big game for us and there are plenty of tough ones coming up, so it’s a massive few weeks for us — starting on Saturday.

'We’ll be ready for what’s ahead — we always are. At the moment, though, we’re not looking past Accrington. It’s always nice to go back to your old club and I got a good reception from the fans at Ipswich last week. So it’ll be good to see a few old faces again on Saturday, but my main focus is on picking up three points.'

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