Let's stick together and put this bad run behind us. That was Kenny Jackett's stance after seeing Pompey lose in the first round of the FA Cup.
Their 1-0 loss at Luton was the fifth time in six seasons they have crashed out at the first hurdle of the cup.
The Blues had plenty of chances but have now gone three games without scoring and have lost four in a row.
They'll be anxious to get back to winning ways at Blackpool next Saturday - the Seasiders themelves the victims of a cup shock, going out to Boreham Wood.
Jackett told the Pompey website: 'We’re in a poor run at the moment. We have to stick together and work hard to keep the players’ confidence high. It was a really close game, but the first goal is a key one and they managed to find one out of nothing.
'It was an end-to-end affair and we looked pretty comfortable defensively aside from their goal. We found some momentum in the second half, although ultimately couldn’t find a way back into the tie.
'We can’t talk about luck — we have to make our own luck. We’re out of the FA Cup, which is a competition I value, but it’s not to be. So we’ll keep reinforcing the good things that the players do because we had a lot of possession in and around their box.'
James Collin was the scorer for the Hatters on the stroke of half-time and Pompey's bid to take it to a replay was not helped by a red card for Nathan Thompson late on after he picked up a second booking.
Pompey: McGee; Thompson, Burgess, Clarke, Haunstrup; O’Keefe, Close; Lowe, Hawkins, Kennedy (Bennett 62); Pitman (c) (Chaplin 62). Subs not used: Bass, Donohue, Rose, Evans, Lalkovic.
Referee: Seb Stockbridge
Attendance: 5,333 (1,143 Pompey fans)
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