Sam Ricketts reflects on Town's 2-0 loss to Portsmouth.
Shrewsbury Town’s afternoon in Portsmouth ended in disappointment as Kenny Jackett’s team ran out 2-0 winners.
Goals from Ellis Harrison and John Marquis were ultimately the difference between the two sides as all three points remained at Fratton Park.
Town Manager Sam Ricketts was disappointed with the result and feels Town had chances to notch an important first goal.
“I asked the players for a lot today and for the vast majority of the game they gave it,” said Sam. “Whoever got the first goal was going to go on and win the game.
“We had really good opportunities to get that first goal but we couldn’t get it and Portsmouth did. The difference between the two sides was only a small amount. My frustration would be that we didn’t hit the target enough.
“We gave Portsmouth a good game today and were far more like ourselves previous to Christmas. Generally, we defended well and Max only had a few saves to make.
“It was always going to come down to the first goal and unfortunately they took it. We kept going and took more risks. We got into good areas and had good opportunities but that gave Portsmouth more space to exploit.
“They used their experience to see the game out and made the game easy for themselves with the second goal. This week now is a big week for us with recuperation and training time. The players never stop trying, their effort and endeavour is excellent.
“No one is happy with the way results are going. No one is happy losing games and not getting the results we want like in the first half of the season. We pushed Portsmouth today and we will keep going. We had 11 shots here as an away side, we just have to start putting them into the back of the net.”