Danny Cowley sounds like a manager who could do without having to name nine subs for a match this weekend.

The Blues host Harrogate in the second round of the FA Cup - in which you can have nie on the bench - but Cowley may struggle for a full house.

He told the club website Pompey would need to be at their best to get past Harrogate. He said: 'It's the greatest cup competition in the world and we have a home draw in the second round, so we're looking forward to it. You can name nine substitutes, but we're scratching around a bit at the moment and are short of players, so we're not really in a position to rotate.

'Our focus in recent weeks, though, has very much been on trying to find solutions rather than excuses and that will continue. John Marquis has trained and if there are no issues on Friday, then he'll be available for selection again.

'That's very pleasing, as is the fact the Lee Brown has been out there with us all week. They're real positives for us.

'We have a lot of respect for Harrogate and Simon Weaver has done an amazing job there, along with his dad, who's the chairman. There have been two promotions in the space of three seasons and they've also won the FA Trophy, although they broke mine and Nicky's hearts by beating Concord Rangers!

'They've gone from strength to strength as a team and are both humble and hard-working, so we anticipate the toughest of fixtures. We'll have to be at our very best if we want to navigate our way through the tie and keep our unbeaten run going.'

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