Danny Rose says Pompey have to learn to manage the spells when teams have the better of the play against them.

It was a reference to the period of the second half that saw Stevenage score twice in five minutes to leave the Blues with a mountain to climb. The game finished 2-1 - Pompey's fourth home defeat in five in the league and FA Cup.

Rose told The News: 'Sometimes you have to take the clearance, whether it is conceding a corner or a throw-in, and not try to take an extra touch of the ball. Sometimes, no matter where it is, just get it away from the goal — and that effectively cost us.

‘We were disappointed to concede two goals in those ways. Goals change games and we conceded two goals in quick succession. It is human nature to then get a bit desperate and go longer a bit earlier, I know the gaffer still wants us to get the ball wide and move them and work them, which we did at times, but probably not enough.

‘You can go behind in games for whatever reason, so you take that, regroup and go again. When you concede the second one it is really is a sucker punch in terms of the opposition have something to hold on to and there’s too much work for us to do.’

‘We started relatively well, created a couple of openings, didn’t take them but were still in the game at half-time. The fans were aware of that and clapped us off, as players you hear it and notice it and that was encouraging.

‘However, we gave ourselves far too much work to do in terms of the goals we conceded, despite throwing everything at it. Teams in any games are going to have a spell against you, that is inevitable, it is a case of managing that spell.

‘When they had their spell in the second half we didn’t manage it well, we had to boot the ball away and it cost us.’

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