Danny Rose has spoken of the importance of retaining belief for a player who - like him - cannot get into his club's first-team plans.
The midfielder, one of the stars of last season's League Two title victory, has had precious few minutes on the pitch under Kenny Jackett but says all you can do is keep on working hard and trying to force your way into the side.
He did just that for the EFL Trophy win over Crawley at Fratton Park and now hopes to get some League One action before long - even though Jackett has preferred Stuart O'Keefe, Ben Close and Adam May in the centre of midfield for most of the season.
Rose said after the Crawley game: 'It was nice to be out there playing competitive football because you do miss it when you’re out of the side. Every professional at some point in their career has been in that position and it’s something I’ve had to deal with before.
'You’ve just got to be fit and ready for when you’re called upon — coming in on days off and doing extra bits after training. Despite not being in the team you have to be mentally strong and believe that your chance will come along.'
Rose was pleased to be involved in the EFL Trophy but said it was a shame there were few fans there to generate a good atmosphere.
Rose added: 'Playing in front of the fans — especially with the crowds we get — it does give you that something extra. But when there are only 1,500 people inside the ground you know that’s something you have to generate yourself.
'I think you could tell from our work-rate that we did that and we were able to see the game out to get the win. There were a lot of changes and the lads who came in wanted to do themselves justice.'
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