Danny Livesey on the Portsmouth game
Defender Danny Livesey gave us his reaction to the 1-1 draw with Portsmouth shortly after full time on Saturday.
“It was a game that was a bit of a battle,” he said.
“I think we’ve come here at a time when they are just starting to settle down. They’ve started with the same team for three games in a row, which is unheard of, and they had about 11,000 fans here so they had to give it a go.”
“I thought we played well in patches,” he added. “They were really direct and physical but I tend to enjoy that kind of thing.
“Ultimately it becomes a one against one when it’s an aerial battle and that’s the kind of thing me and Sean [O’Hanlon] enjoy. With the way we’re working together, if one us loses it then the other one comes in to cover, and that’s a good situation to have.”
“I think we’re doing well as a partnership,” he continued. “Sean has come in at a time when things have tightened up at the back but that’s not just down to the defenders. The lads in front of us are working hard to close things down and that makes our job much easier.
“We’ve worked very hard on defending over the last few months and it’s starting to pay off for us. It wasn’t good enough, the results showed that, and we’ll continue to go over and over things to make sure we keep things the way they are.”
“I think when a team plays that much long ball then they are always going to get a chance,” he explained. “I don’t think I have too many grumbles over the penalty. His first touch was a bit heavy and he left his foot in, so he got what he wanted. Mark [Gillespie] had to come for it so it’s just one of those things.
“We’re obviously disappointed not to get the win,” he admitted. “It’s probably one where people expect you to come and get the result, but it doesn’t work out like that. When you look at what’s going on down here at the moment you can see that they will beat someone soon. I don’t know if they’ll get out of it but they have definitely turned a corner.”
“I’m pleased with my own form at the moment,” he said. “It’s nice for us to be seeing a bit of reward by the fact we’re keeping clean sheets or conceding just the odd goal. It doesn’t ruin your week half as much as when you’re conceding three or four all the time.
“There’s no question that the competition for places has helped that. You know that if your performance levels drop then there are people ready to come in and take it off you. It’s up to those of us who are in there at the moment to hold on to what we have.”
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