Pompey boss's praise for Jervis, fans ... and groundstaff
Saturday, 25th Jan 2014 19:12 by pompey-fans.com staff

Jake Jervis, Pompey's fans and Morecambe's groundstaff all came in for praise from Blues boss Richie Barker after the sides played out an entertaining 2-2 draw.

Jervis scored twice on his 'second full debut' for Pompey but it wasn't enough as the hosts twice hit back - the second equaliser leaving question marks over Trevor Carson's goalkeeping.

Barker told the Pompey website: 'I thought there were some real positives, especially considering the conditions. We felt Morecambe were vulnerable in 2v1 situations down the side and it’s something we’ve been working on for the last few days.

'We scored from two low crosses into the box and we should have scored a third — so credit to the players for taking that information on board. Jake can’t get too carried away because he’s scored two goals from about three yards combined! But they’ve still got to be scored and his work ethic was fantastic.

'The manner of the last goal was disappointing. If the striker hits that shot another 100 times then the chances are Trevor saves it. It was a day of contrasts for him because he also kept us in the game with the penalty save in the first half.'

Barker added: 'Fair play to the groundsman for getting the game on. The conditions were terrible throughout, with the pitch half the issue and the wind the other half. It wasn’t really a football match so it’s a testimony to the players out there who tried to make it into one.

'The ball was getting stuck in mud and the wind was blowing passes backwards. But bearing in mind we’d been on the road since 9am the previous morning, we’re pleased the game went ahead.

'It was a fantastic effort from our supporters. One or two must have woken up and wondered if they would give it a go because of the weather, so we appreciate their support and I’m glad for them that there was no postponement.'

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