Andy Awford praised the way his defence stood up to be counted in the secnod half against Bristol Rovers - after a shaky first half show at the back.
The caretaker boss watched his back-line let in two for the first time since he regained control as Rovers twice hit back in the first half to make it 2-2 at the break, Adam Webster and Ryan Taylor scoring the goals.
But the defence kept out the Gas in the second half as Wes Fogden struck at the other end to make it four wins on the trot for the buoyant Blues.
Awford told the Pompey website: 'That was probably our biggest test since I’ve come in. Fair play to Bristol Rovers — they gave us one heck of a game. They caused us a few problems and were arguably the better side in the first half. They created a number of chances.
'But it wasn’t as if they were totally dominant and we had quite a few chances of our own. I asked the lads at the break to show some character, to stand up and be counted.
'Boy did they do that — I thought they were absolutely magnificent in the second half. We stepped it up and deserved the victory in the end.'
Awford won praise for bringing on Fogden just at the right time and admitted afterwards putting him on the bench had proved the right decision.
He told the website: 'Wes wasn’t quite ready to start, but his energy is infectious and he made a big impact when he came on. He gets around the pitch and is able to affect the game so much from that central area. He was magnificent and I’m delighted he was able to score at the Fratton End.'
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